MANILA, Philippines - He survived two previous attempts on his life, but his luck ran out on the third try.
Mayor Ukol Talumpa of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur and his wife Lea were shot dead as they emerged from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) arrival area before noon yesterday.
The gunman wore a police uniform, a black jacket and a bull cap, apparently to hide his face, said Pasay City police chief Senior Superintendent Mitch Filart.
Two others were killed: Saripudon Talumpa, reportedly a nephew of the mayor, and 18-month-old Gil Thomas Estuesta Lirazan, who arrived at the NAIA with his parents from Bacolod.
The victims were declared dead on arrival at the Villamor Airbase Hospital in Pasay City.
Five others who were seriously wounded were also brought to the same hospital and later airlifted to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.
They were identified as Rosda Lindaga, 26; Amalia Lirazan, 58, and her daughter Marie Ann, 28; Diana Uy, 3, and Remayda Talumpa, 28.
Talumpa’s lone security was unarmed because his service pistol was with airline security.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Jose Honrado said Talumpa and his wife arrived at the NAIA-3 on Cebu Pacific flight 5J 852 from Cebu at 9 a.m.
At around 11:15 a.m., they left the Customs area and proceeded to loading bay 1, where two men on a motorcycle pulled up. One of the men opened fire.
Chief Superintendent Christopher Laxa, chief of the Aviation Security Group, said 17 shells from a caliber .45 pistol were recovered at the scene.
Laxa said responding airport policemen chased the suspects, who sped toward Fort Bonifacio in Taguig.
“When we failed to intercept the suspects... we turned our attention to bringing Talumpa and the other victims to the hospital,†Laxa said in an interview.
The suspects were monitored waiting at bay 8 of NAIA Terminal 3 early yesterday.
Filart said they were still determining whether the gunman’s companion also wore a police uniform.
Police holding eyewitness
Honrado said the identities of the assailants could not be established yet although policemen are holding an eyewitness to the incident.
He said that although the entrance to the airport is guarded by private security men, checking all the vehicles entering the airport is done at random.
“This is the Christmas season and you could imagine the number of people entering the airport’s gates. It is almost impossible for the guards to remember all their faces,†he said.
He added that there is no closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed outside NAIA’s four passenger terminals which could be used to identify the assailants.
Airport sources said the absence of CCTV camera was the alleged reason for the resignation of retired Gen. Salvador Peñaflor, assistant general manager for emergency and security services, last October.
Peñaflor reportedly warned Honrado that without the CCTVs, the airport is vulnerable to criminal activities.
The sources said Peñaflor was dismayed at the slow procurement process involved in acquiring the CCTV, which would cover not only the four passenger terminals but the perimeter fences as well.
Task Group Ukol
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) created yesterday Special Investigation Task Group Ukol to investigate the shooting incident at the NAIA.
NCRPO chief Director Carmelo Valmoria said Senior Superintendent Billy Beltran, deputy director for operations of the Southern Police District (SPD), will head Task Group Ukol, whose members are from police units based in southern Metro Manila.
President Aquino also ordered authorities yesterday to immediately arrest the suspects in the shooting incident at NAIA.
“As directed by the President, (the) PNP (Philippine National Police) is conducting hot pursuit operations against suspected assailants. We condemn this blatant act of violence that has killed an innocent bystander and imperiled the safety of citizens in the airport,†Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said.
Coloma said the government would adopt necessary measures to ensure the citizens’ safety, especially during the holiday season.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, meanwhile, ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a probe into the fatal ambush of Talumpa.
In a text message, De Lima said she issued the directive to NBI officer-in-charge Medardo Delemos and asked for immediate results.
“I understand that was the third attempt on the life of the mayor and this time, the culprits succeeded. It’s extremely deplorable that even the wife and nephew were also killed,†she said.
Possible motives
Policemen are investigating the background of Talumpa to determine the possible motives that led to his death.
Talumpa, incumbent and first term mayor, was a member of the local Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) under Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Antonio Cerilles and a staunch rival of former mayor Wilson Kity Nandang of the Liberal Party (LP), who is an ally of former Pagadian mayor Sammy Co.
Police Inspector Benigno Meneses, Labangan police chief, said Talumpa had survived two previous assassination attempts – a gun attack in Manila in 2010 and a grenade attack in Labangan last year.
But Meneses said they have not have heard of any fresh threat against the life of Talumpa recently.
“He was good and it was only regular that he has to be guarded by escort as the local chief executive,†Meneses said.
Previous police commanders, however, said rido (blood feud) and local politics may be the possible motives in the killing of Talumpa.
Stable condition
Alfonso Nuñez – head of the East Avenue Medical Center emergency department – yesterday said all the female victims of the NAIA shooting were in stable condition, including three-year-old Diana Uy, who sustained a gunshot wound in the head.
Nuñez said no bullet was found inside the head of Uy.
Nuñez said the CT-scan conducted on her showed that her brain was not damaged by the bullet that fractured the front part of her skull.
“We are happy that she is responsive,†added EAMC chief Roland Cortez. He noted that while this is a good sign, doctors are still cautious about her condition due to the nature of the injury.
Nuñez also said the injuries of Marie Ann Lirazan, the mother of the 18-month-old child who died in the shooting, can be treated as that of an outpatient.
Condemnation
The NAIA shooting sparked condemnation from various groups yesterday.
Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II condemned the shooting incident at the NAIA yesterday, as he reiterated his order to the PNP to intensify its campaign against crime prevention especially during the Christmas season.
The provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur said the government must seek justice for the death of Talumpa and his relatives.
“It is the responsibility of the national government to seek justice for Talumpa, being an elected mayor of the country,†Cerilles said.
‘Review NAIA security system’
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has instructed its unit to review the security system at the airport after the shooting at the NAIA yesterday.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a text message that he has instructed the Office for Transport Security (OTS) to review the security measures at the country’s busiest airport after the ambush of Talumpa and three others.
“I have tasked OTS to review our security measure and likewise review procedures at the checkpoint prior to approaching airport driveway,†Abaya said.
He pointed out that the shooting occurred outside the premises of NAIA and that there are no CCTVs outside the perimeter of the international gateway.
“The shooting happened on the curbside I believe outside of the airport walls. However, that isn’t an excuse,†he said.
“There are CCTVs in the arrival area within the arrival walls but none on the roadside or curbside,†Abaya said. With Roel Pareño, Rudy Santos, Aurea Calica, Jaime Laude, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Edu Punay, Janvic Mateo, Lawrence Agacaoili