MANILA, Philippines - A utility aide of Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno was killed by an unidentified attacker while he was sleeping in his house in Tondo, Manila yesterday morning.
The Manila Police District (MPD) said Jonathan Ignacio, 37, died on the spot after he was shot in the head at close range with an M-16 rifle at least three times at around 5:30 a.m.
The attacker, seen wearing an orange jacket, walked away from the crime scene and escaped on a motorcycle driven by a cohort who served as his lookout.
A son of Ignacio, who refused to be identified, said before the gunman left, he pointed the gun at them and warned them, saying: “Walang magsasalita, wala kayong nakita, papatayin ko kayo (Nobody talks, you did not see anything, or I will kill you).”
Ignacio’s son said the attacker, carrying the rifle, barged into their home, went straight to his father’s bedroom at the third floor and shot him at least three times. The victim’s partner, Vanessa Debuet, and their three-year-old son were unhurt, MPD homicide section chief Inspector Armando Macaraeg said.
Asked about any enemies his father may have had, Ignacio’s son said his father does not have any and was not the kind of person who started fights.
Police Officer 2 Bernardo Cayabyab said they are still clueless as to the motive behind Ignacio’s murder, but they are checking whether it was personal or related to his work as Moreno’s aide.
Cayabyab said all angles are being looked into.
The attacker’s movements were recorded by a closed-circuit television camera at around 5:40 a.m. The gunman was seen riding a motorcycle with another man while carrying a rifle. The license plate could not be seen clearly from the video.
There are unconfirmed reports that Ignacio figured in a shooting in the past.