Makati station chief sacked; more checkpoints up

MANILA, Philippines - Makati police chief Senior Superintendent Froilan Bonifacio ordered yesterday the relief of a precinct commander and the setup of additional checkpoints to inspect tandem motorcycle riders in the wake of the killing of an employee of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Friday.

“We have an existing policy that if a crime involving suspects riding in tandem is committed, the precinct commander in the area will be relieved,” Bonifacio said in ordering the transfer of Chief Inspector Libreto Buisan from the Police Community Precinct 1, which has jurisdiction over the area where DBP process server Roldan Hernandez, 50, was ambushed. Buisan was replaced by Chief Inspector Jonathan Villamor.

Hernandez was on his way to work when he was gunned down by an assassin riding tandem with another man on a motorcycle at the corner of Zapote street and Kalayaan Avenue in Barangay Olympia. The faces of the two attackers were hidden by their full crash helmets.

Homicide investigators are digging deeper into the case, but the results of an initial investigation indicate a Manila-based bookie ring led by ex-policemen could have ordered a hit on Hernandez after bettors decided to place their bets with him instead.

Police said witnesses have failed to jot down the license plates of the motorcycle used by the suspects.