Maguan family visits wake of road rage victim

MANILA, Philippines - The family of Eldon Maguan, who was killed in a road rage shooting several years ago, visited yesterday the wake of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr. as they called on the Arroyo administration not to compromise its stand against all perpetrators of this “senseless capital crime.”

Maguan’s sister, Grace, said the brutal killing of Ebarle is very similar to the case of her brother, who was gunned down by Rolito Go.

“We strongly condemn the road rage killing of the young Ebarle,” she said, describing suspect Jason Ivler as a “conscienceless… gun-toting individual” prowling the streets of Metro Manila.

“We feel the sense of loss by the Ebarle family and friends, just as when we lost our own young Eldon Maguan to similar murderous hands,” Grace said.

Records show Maguan was on his way home in July 1991 when he was shot pointblank by Go during a traffic incident. Go had a fight with his girlfriend at a restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan and drove against the flow of traffic on Wilson street when he nearly slammed into Eldon’s vehicle.

Go fled, but a security guard was able to get his license plate number. The Pasig regional trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 1993, but Go escaped three days before the sentence was handed down.

Go was recaptured at a pig farm in Pampanga in 1996. Maguan’s family said Ebarle’s killer should be put in jail. – Non Alquitran