MANILA, Philippines - The Northern Police District-Special Investigation Task Group (NPD-SITG) filed last week a murder case against three alleged contract killers tagged in the ambush-slay of Philippine shooting team member Michael Lontoc in Malabon City on Sept. 25, an official said yesterday.
Marvin Tresvalles, alias Aben; Jimmy Pianiar, alias Toto; and Renante Egioma, alias Renan, all residents of Barangay Catmon were charged before Malabon assistant Quennie Uy.
Superintendent Ferdinand del Rosario, NPD-SITG spokesman, said a witness was able to identify Tresvalles and Pianiar as two of the four gunmen who waylaid Lontoc at around 4:40 p.m. along M. H. del Pilar Avenue while Egioma was linked to the murder after the police found out that one of the weapons used in the ambush belonged to him.
“These three suspects have all pending murder cases in Malabon and information gathered by the SITG showed they belonged to a rebel hit squad that turned (to) contract killing,” Del Rosario told The STAR yesterday.
With the filing of the case, the NPD-SITG – headed by Chief Superintendent Antonio Decano – considered the Lontoc murder as “case cleared” on their level but other law enforcement agencies are still digging deeper into the motive behind Lontoc’s killing.
Lontoc had just came from a competition at a shooting range in Barangay Maysilo, Malabon and was driving his car when he was gunned down. Two other shooters, including PO2 Christopher Agustin of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group maintenance and technical services division, were driving their cars behind Lontoc at the time.
The NPD-SITG charged Agustin with serious neglect of duty for failing to help the victim and because he “fled the crime scene.”
The police linked Lontoc’s killing to an international crime syndicate. According to Lontoc’s kin, he was killed for trying to “break away” from the syndicate but authorities believe he was murdered for deceiving his group, including their clients.