Slain Manila cop warned wife about ambush

Manila, Philippines -  The police officer who was killed in an ambush in Tondo last Thursday had a premonition of his death and told his wife the name of the person who may want to silence him.

Police Officer 3 Reynaldo Olivo Jr. was waylaid by three men along Masinop and Cristobal streets while taking his 11-year-old son to school.

Malou Olivo, 36, widow of the slain police officer, told The STAR yesterday that her husband had been receiving death threats even before he was suspended.

Olivo, who was out on bail, and two other officers from the Manila Police District (MPD) Station 5 were charged and suspended for allegedly robbing a Korean tourist last April 5.

Malou said her husband told her the name of another police officer who was angry at him and had been threatening him. “He was being asked to do a ‘job’ but he was not able to do it,” she said between sobs.

There were allegations that Olivo was a member of a group of policemen who allegedly extorted money from tourists in Ermita, Manila. Olivo and his co-accused were dubbed the “Tuwalya (Towel) Gang,” referring to their alleged modus operandi of robbing tourists while in police uniform, with towels draped on their shoulder to cover their nameplate.

Prior to the killing, Olivo, who was on a motorcycle with his son, stopped to pacify two men who were quarreling at the corner of Wagas street.

Witnesses said he stopped a certain Marlon Alfonso from drawing a gun and shooting Arjay Agustin. At the time, Olivo told his son to walk alone to school.

A few minutes after the commotion, Olivo rode his motorbike and headed for home but three men on two motorcycles blocked his path and started shooting him.

Alfonso, a mechanic and a businessman, and Agustin were invited to the MPD homicide section yesterday to shed light on the matter. Alfonso said he was carrying a gun on the day that the incident happened but added that he has a permit to carry.