PUP exec killed in Manila ambush

MANILA, Philippines - Two still unidentified suspects shot dead last Wednesday evening the vice president of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Manila Police District (MPD) investigators identified the victim as lawyer Augustus Cezar, 64, PUP vice president for administration and secretary of the Board of Regents, and resident of 3677 Gen. A. Luna St., Bangkal, Makati City.

Witnesses said the suspects, who were both wearing full-face helmets, were riding tandem on a motorcycle when they attacked Cezar who sustained two gunshot wounds in the head and died on the spot.

The incident happened shortly after 10 p.m. at the corner of Pureza St. and Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Senior Police Officer 1 Charles John Duran said that before the shooting incident, the suspects parked their motorcycle about 10 meters away. The gunman then alighted from the motorcycle and waited at the corner of Pureza St. and Magsaysay Blvd. near an electric post.

Cezar, who was on board a gray Toyota Light Ace with license plate WSD-960, later passed by and the vehicle stopped when the traffic light turned red. 

Police said the gunman approached the victim’s car and fired two successive shots, hitting the victim twice in the head. The gunman then walked over to the getaway motorcycle and the suspects fled towards Anonas St. in Sta. Mesa.

A bystander, identified as Nia Virlynda Nurulla, 25, a nurse, of C-13 Building 28, GSIS Homes, Anonas St., Sta. Mesa, was hit on her left index finger by a stray bullet.

Senior Inspector Joselito Padilla de Ocampo, chief of the MPD Homicide Section, told reporters that they are still looking into several angles and possible motives, such as work related, or politics in the school, or even personal reasons.

De Ocampo said the killing was apparently carried out by professional assassins since the gunman knew exactly where to wait for the target. 

MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla said the police have formed Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) August led by Senior Superintendent Fidel Posadas, the MPD deputy director for operations, to handle the investigation of the incident.

Rongavilla said the police are checking if the victim had previous death threats. Investigators said Cezar’s name was mentioned in a complaint filed by outgoing PUP president Dante Guevarra against Commission on Higher Education chair Patricia Licuanan.

Gueverra asked the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) to hold Licuanan in contempt for apparently defying a court order that allowed him to keep his post at PUP.

Guevarra filed on Friday last week at the Manila RTC a petition to hold Licuanan, also the PUP Board of Regents (BOR) chair, for indirect contempt after the latter appointed last Sept. 15 former PUP BOR secretary Estelita de la Rosa as the new PUP officer-in-charge.

In his petition, Guevarra alleged the act was a “head-on defiance” of a writ of preliminary injunction issued last July 25 by Manila RTC Branch 26 judge Silvino Pampilo, in which PUP officials were ordered to maintain the status quo with Guevarra continuing to act as university president in a holdover capacity.

Guevarra had also asked the court to hold De la Rosa in contempt along with Licuanan.

“Acting on her illegal designation as OIC, respondent De la Rosa immediately issued directives to the organization, relieved certain personnel of their designated official functions and even designated PUP Vice President for Administration Atty. Augustus F. Cezar as acting .board secretary,” Guevarra said in his petition.

Guevarra had also filed charges against Licuanan, De la Rosa and Cezar at the Ombudsman’s office for falsification by public officers, use of falsified documents, usurpation of authority or official functions, perjury and usurpation of judicial functions. With Nestor Etolle