Probers focus on CCTV footage

MANILA, Philippines - Las Piñas police investigators are checking footage taken by surveillance cameras in the area to find out the license plate numbers of the vehicles used by at least 10 men who barged into the home of Banco Filipino owner Albert “Bobby” Aguirre in BF Homes International and killed three of his bodyguards shortly before midnight Saturday, an official said yesterday.

City police chief Senior Superintendent Romulo Sapitula told The STAR that among the angles pursued by investigators are a possible feud among security personnel and the threats against Aguirre.

He said based on the footage taken by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed in the area, the attackers were in two private cars, a taxi and a motorcycle. The motorcycle, left at the crime scene, was stolen a few hours before the incident.

“We are seeking the help of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for the enhancement of the footages,” Sapitula said.

Security guard David Manguera, retired Senior Police Officer 2 Melvin Padaca and PO3 Luisito Macatunao were killed in the attack.

Sapitula said they are enhancing the CCTV footage to find out the license plate numbers of the two cars and the taxi, which were parked outside Aguirre’s house while some of the attackers began shooting the victims.

“We are also checking with the security guards manning the gates of the subdivision,” he said.

Sapitula said although security guards get the driver’s license of cabbies entering the Aguirre compound, the subdivision has no records or logbooks of incoming and outgoing vehicles. “This is one of the security lapses we found,” he said.

The police chief also said they are looking into reports of a feud among the security personnel assigned to Aguirre. He said Macatunao, who is from the Philippine National Police – Police Security Group, was not assigned to Aguirre but to one of the executives of his company but he stayed with other security personnel in the barracks of the Aguirre compound.

Sapitula said Manguera allowed the assassins into Aguirre’s compound at around 11:15 p.m. Some of the gunmen rushed to Padaca and shot him in the head, while the others went to the security personnel barracks and shot Macatunao, also in the head.

Aguirre, who was in his bedroom on the second floor, was unharmed. He told investigators that he did not witness anything. “It seems like Bobby Aguirre wasn’t the target because after hitting the three, the (attackers) immediately left,” Sapitula said.