Attacker of Batanes governor not a professional hitman - police

MANILA, Philippines – The gunman who carried out the ambush of Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos is not a professional hitman.

Senior Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, chief of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-National Capital Region, said the attackers did not even check if they had killed their intended target.

“If the gunman was a professional killer, he would have approached the wounded victims and opened fire at close range to finish them off,” Velasquez said.

But Velasquez admitted they have yet to establish the motive behind Castillejos’ ambush.

He said a village security guard had testified seeing Castillejos leave his home but saw no vehicle tailing the governor.

Velasquez added somebody might have known that Castillejos was about to fly home to Batanes and prepared the ambush.

“It appears that the gunman waited outside the subdivision and followed the governor’s vehicle until an opportune time came for him to carry out his plan,” Velasquez said.

“What we are establishing right now is who knows the schedule of Gov. Castillejos and we are questioning a number of people on this.”

In Batanes, a former governor yesterday denied insinuations he was behind the slay attempt on Castillejos.

“I have no reason to harm Gov. Castillejos. My conscience is clean. Kristiyano ako (I am a Christian). It is not my character to kill or order anyone (to be) killed,” former governor Vicente Gato said.

Gato, a retired Navy captain who served as Batanes governor from 2004 to 2007, denied reports insinuating that politics was the motive behind the assassination attempt on Castillejos last Wednesday.

Castillejos and his driver Albert Patimo survived a pre-dawn attack by four heavily armed men who opened fire at their vehicle while they were on their way to the airport in Pasay City.

“Violence does not characterize the Ivatan brand of politics,” Gato said.

Gato took exception to claims made by National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Geary Barias that politics was the motive behind the ambush on Castillejos.

Barias allegedly cited the violent elections in Batanes where Gato’s bid for re-election failed in 2007.

Local politicians in the provincial capital of Basco also took exception to Barias’ statements.

Meanwhile, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said Barias should focus on investigating the incident rather than speculating on the possible motive behind the slay try.

Zubiri said Barias should stand his ground against possible political pressures in investigating the ambush.

Police investigators, on the other hand, said their initial findings on the ambush try on Castillejos show that it was done by “amateurs.”

Meanwhile, a relative of Castillejos said the governor would continue to take charge of the affairs of the provincial government even while he is in hospital.

Jun Abad, a nephew of Castillejos, said the governor has no plans of taking a break while recuperating from his wounds sustained during the ambush.

“He is in constant communication
with them through phone. He is checking on the situation in the province
every now and then,” Abad said.

Abad said Cas-tillejos assured the people the delivery of basic services would continue in the province even after the ambush. – With Jack Castaño, Rhodina Villanueva, Christina Mendez, Cecille Suerte Felipe