'Castillejos' driver could be the target of attack'

The driver of Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos could be the target of the gunman who attacked them in Pasay City last Sept. 3, police said yesterday.

A day after ruling out personal and business rivalry as the motive behind the attack on Castillejos, Senior Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) National Capital Region (NCR), said they are conducting a background investigation on the governor’s driver, Albert Patimo.

“We are reviewing our physical evidence to determine whether the driver is a perfect personality to be the target of the said attack,” Velasquez told The STAR.

Earlier, Velasquez said results of a background investigation on Castillejos revealed that he is not a womanizer and he had not been involved in shady business transactions.

The CIDG, Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and the Southern Police District (SPD) conducted an ocular inspection of the ambush scene last Wednesday “because we wanted to probe an angle we are pursuing,” said Velasquez.

Patimo, who sustained gunshot wounds in the mouth and left arm, is now in stable condition at the Medical City.

During an interview, Patimo told CIDG investigators that the suspect’s vehicle kept on flashing their signal lights, apparently trying to overtake him.

When he slowed down to allow the vehicle to overtake, Patimo said gunshots rang out.

Task Force Castillejos is presently studying the trajectory of the bullets that hit the governor’s vehicle to sustain their theory that Patimo was the prime target of the attack.

Velasquez said they recovered at least 10 slugs from a caliber 9mm automatic pistol in the crime scene but “there’s no sign of empty shells.’

However, The STAR learned that Patimo is a law-abiding citizen and has no known enemies.

“He is a breadwinner of their family. He’s helping send to the local college three of his brothers and sister,” said a local official, adding that Patimo is a stay-in worker of the Castillejos. –Jack Castano