Police launch manhunt against shabu supplier in girlie joints

Police are now hot on trail of a suspected supplier of illegal drugs among club entertainers and personnel who shot dead a club employee late Tuesday in retaliation for banning him from entering the establishment in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Operatives of the Sta. Cruz police station led by Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, backed up Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel, raided the Islamic Center in Quiapo Tuesday night but failed to arrest Umbao Babao, a vendor, who was named by witnesses as the one who shot dead 40-year-old Renato Alivia. The victim was in charge of the nightly operations of the Cyber Show Disco Pub located along Rizal Avenue in Sta. Cruz.

Inspector John Guiagui, chief of the station’s follow-up operation, recovered the alleged murder weapon, a .45 caliber pistol with bullets, which was reportedly dropped by Babao in his haste to escape the police. Witnesses said Alivia got the ire of Babao after he was banned by the former from entering the club. There were talks that Babao is the supplier of illegal drugs among the club’s dancers, employees and habitues.

The club’s floor manager, Michael Villa, was recently suspended by Alivia over reports that he is using illegal drugs. Villa was reportedly sniffing shabu inside Babao’s residence at the Islamic Center, Sapitula said. Prior to the shooting, Villa had also reportedly figured in an altercation with Alivia after the latter refused to lend him money.

At around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, club personnel saw Villa and Babao climbed up the room of the victim at the fifth floor of the club. Then the personnel heard successive shots and saw Villa, followed by Babao, hurriedly going down.

According to the victim’s 20-year-old daughter Cazelyn who works as a cashier at the club, Villa and Babao barged into their room with Babao firing at his father. Cazelyn said Babao also pointed his gun to her but fired again at her father when he shouted not to harm her. Babao also took the victim’s wallet containing P130,000 before escaping, according to investigators. Villa was arrested by the police after the shooting incident.       – Nestor Etolle