Retired cop shot dead

CEBU, Philippines —  Police Officer 3 Brazillo Borinaga, 51, took an early retirement from the service last year to spend more time with his family.

His prospects for a happy retirement were, however, quelled when he was shot dead by an unidentified assailant while parking his car just a few meters outside their house in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City yesterday afternoon.

Borinaga’s wife had just alighted from the vehicle and gone into their house when she heard a burst of gunfire from outside. That time, they had just arrived from buying supplies from the city proper.

The victim sustained two gunshot wounds in the head and another two in his shoulders, which led to his immediate death.

In the photos taken by this paper, Borinaga’s body could be seen sprawling lifeless just outside the driver’s seat of his car, while his wife sheltered him from the rain with umbrella as investigators collected pieces of evidence at the crime scene.

Captain Janelito Marquez, chief of Guadalupe Police Station, told The FREEMAN that they are trying to gather footages of closed-circuit television cameras installed near the crime scene in order to possibly identify the perpetrator.

This early, though, Marquez is not discounting Borinaga’s previous job as a policeman as a motive to the killing.

Borinaga was assigned in the Regional Special Operations Group and the Cebu City Police Office before he was reassigned to Cordillera Autonomous Region in 2018. In 2019, he then decided to take an early retirement.

2 die in another shooting

Meanwhile, two people also died in another shooting incident, this time at Manuel Lim and Sons Bldg. along A.S. Fortuna Street in Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City yesterday morning.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspect, Raymond Alquisola, a security guard under EROSS Security Agency, went to the building and shot the first victim, Jessie Liza, 31, the security guard on duty at that time.

When Alquisola saw Benedicto Sumagang, operation officer of EROSS, climb upstairs during the commotion, Alquisola also allegedly turned to him and shot him.

“Ang nangyari po was bigla nalang pumunta doon ang suspek natin, sabi ng mga witnesses. Pagpunta po ng suspek, inabutan niya tong duty na babae (Liza) na naka-take post (at binaril niya), and then itong si Sumagang ay paakyat ng opisina, doon din siya nagpaputok ng baril,” said P/Lt. Troy John Lalamunan, chief of Mandaue City Police Station 4.

Lalamunan said that Alquisola followed Sumagang all the way upstairs until Sumagang was able to enter the room and locked the door. At this point, Alquisola allegedly shot the door open.

When the suspect managed to get inside and discovered that Sumagang was already dead, he then shot himself dead.

Sumagang was brought to the hospital but declared dead on arrival while Liza is still being observed at the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds.

Police are still investigating the incident further but are considering personal grudge to be among the likely motives.

Among the evidence found at the crime scene were a 9mm Norinco firearm, magazine with two live ammos, kf caliber 9mm, and three empty shells of caliber 9mm bullets.  JMD (FREEMAN)