CEBU, Philippines - The gunman was a 16-year-old, and the alleged mastermind was a nephew who owed the victim P20 million.
That, in summary, was the conclusion of the police investigation on the ambush that left businessman Nicolas Ting injured in Mandaue City last June 21.
Larry Ting, son of Nicolas’ late elder brother, was identified by Edwin Juab, founder of the notorious Trece Hudas Gang, as the one who hired him last December 3 to gun down Nicolas.
Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, Regional Intelligence Division chief and designated head of Task Force Ting, and Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador, presented to the media yesterday the four persons they arrested.
Aside from Larry and Juab, also arrested was the gunman Mark (real name withheld for being a minor), who was tasked by Juab to kill Nicolas. Jordan Miral, driver of the motorcycle, was also caught.
Larry is involved in a lumber business and was resting inside his house in Barangay Humay-humay, Lapu-lapu City when officers of the CCPO’s Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) led by Chief Insp. George Ylanan arrested him.
Comendador said that right after the ambush, they received information from Barangay Ermita that Juab was involved in the shooting.
The Theft and Robbery Section led by Sr. Insp. Bonifacio Garciano caught Juab last Monday evening in Ermita while playing mahjong. He later admitted his participation and told the police that Larry hired him to kill Nicolas for P100,000, which was later increased to P200,000.
After two failed attempts on the life of Nicolas, he got in touch with Mark, a “known” criminal in Lapu-Lapu. Mark was arrested early afternoon last Tuesday. He had with him a caliber .45 pistol with seven live ammunition. The Lapu-Lapu City Police said he was responsible for at least three shooting incidents in the city.
Later that afternoon, TRS operatives arrested Miral in Ermita. Buenafe said that Larry most probably wanted Nicolas killed as he could no longer pay his P20-million debt.
Mark did not get money for the job. If the report was true, he was only made to drink beer and take illegal dugs before the shooting.
Efforts are still underway to arrest the person who shot Nicolas’ brother, Manuel, who was slain last June 22. The gunman was positively identified by at least four witnesses not only from the artist’s sketch but also from an available photograph. (FREEMAN NEWS)