Echiverri offers P.2 M for gunman in Erice aide's slay

MANILA, Philippines - Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri offered yesterday P200,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the man seen shooting an aide of Vice Mayor Edgar Erice.

At the same time, Northern Police District (NPD) director Chief Superintendent Antonio Decano released a computer-generated image of the gunman, based on descriptions provided by witnesses. He said the gunman was described as around 30 to 31 years old, 5’7” tall, of medium build, fair-skinned and wearing a blue shirt and a scarf on his head.

“Any information that may help the police in solving” the murder of Samuel Delana, 44, “is welcome,” Decano said during a press briefing yesterday at the NPD headquarters.

Delana was maneuvering his vehicle along the main road of Phase 5 in Bagong Silang at around 10:15 a.m. when he was fired upon by a man riding a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.

Delana, a political supporter of Erice, died on the spot from gunshot wounds in the head and body while Nelda Dioquino was wounded in the left shoulder. They were on their way to the house of Merlita Tortoles, Erice’s political coordinator.

According to witnesses, Delana was about to park his vehicle when another car moved in front of him and blocked his path. Two men on a motorcycle appeared and one of them shot Delana. A stray bullet also hit Dioquino, who was seated beside Delana.

Decano said they are closely looking into politics as one of the possible motives in Delana’s killing. He said the victim used to be a supporter of Echiverri but shifted his allegiance to Rep. Oscar Malapitan and then to Erice. 

Echiverri is on his last term as mayor while Malapitan is in his third and last term as representative of Caloocan City’s first district. Both Malapitan and Erice are open about their plans to run for mayor in the 2013 elections.

Superintendent Ferdinand del Rosario, NPD investigation division chief and the designated spokesman on Delana’s case, said they are also looking at other angles.

“Politics is only one of the possible motives, we are not discounting personal problems of the victim,” he said.

Del Rosario said Delana’s cell phone, which is being examined in a crime laboratory, might give “vital” information about the crime.