Probe ordered on poor police response to ambush-slay

Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon ordered an investigation yesterday as to why an anti-crime police "dragnet" failed to intercept gunmen in the ambush-slaying Thursday of a Customs official and an executive of a gasoline firm in Manila.

De Leon said the slaying of lawyer Clemente Heraldo, 38, chief of the Customs Investigation and Intelligence Division (CIID) and Mauricio Gallo, 35, staff supervisor of Shell will be listed as a "first strike" against Superintendent Roberto de la Rosa, Station 10 commander. Three strikes could mean relief for a station commander under the PNP policy.

"I personally distributed radio transceivers and other equipment during my inspection of the area last week and I cannot understand why our policemen failed to react quickly to the ambush," said De Leon.

He explained that the police dragnet is part of a major tactical strategy of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in securing the oil depot in Pandacan.

He ordered his staff to study the response time of De la Rosa’s men and what lapses were committed to fine-tune their anti-crime strategy and approach to prevent future ambush-slay and other crimes.

The five suspects struck while heavily-armed Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Regional Special Action Unit (RSAU) were patrolling Metro Manila’s vital government and private installations, including the oil depots, Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit.

Gallo’s car was emerging from Laura street when two of the five gunmen riddled it with bullets before finding out that they had shot the wrong target. The Shell executive was with his wife, Luisa, 38 and son Jericho, 9.

Heraldo was backing up his car to escape when the three other gunmen appeared and started firing at his direction.

Gallo and Heraldo died at the Manila Doctor’s hospital along United Nations Avenue in Ermita. Luisa, who was hit in the lower body, is being treated at the same hospital. the boy was unhurt.

Initial reports reaching De Leon showed that the gunmen were hired killers. "The motive appears to be personal," said de Leon, noting that Heraldo was at present conducting probe against fellow Customs officials involved in corruption.

Heraldo was in-charge of the Customs internal affairs section.

A number of Customs officials were recently found by the government’s anti-graft body of amassing undeclared wealth and Heraldo’s investigation was credited for the findings.

The Manila police, according to de Leon, are coordinating with the Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo to determine the cases handled by Heraldo.

De Leon said the suspects boarded a tricycle and got off on Carreon street and were seen walking toward the railroad tracks along Kahilum street without encountering a single policeman.

The NCRPO chief said he wants to know where the Manila cops were during the entire period of the ambush incident and how fast they responded to the crime scene.

He warned de la Rosa and other station commanders to shape up as he will not hesitate to relieve them should they violate the PNP’s three-strike policy in the campaign against criminality.