Gov’t hospital’s chief engineer gunned down

MANILA, Philippines - The chief engineer of the government-run Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC) was killed in an ambush in Caloocan City Wednesday night.

William Velasco, 34, was riding home in a passenger jeepney when two men in a motorcycle caught up with the jeepney at the corner of 10th Avenue and Teodoro street and shot him.

A witness said the assailants made sure Velasco was dead before fleeing in the direction of the Caloocan city hall.

The jeepney’s driver, Gerardo Gutierrez, rushed the victim to the Caloocan Medical Center but Velasco was declared dead on arrival.

Corruption, pressure

The victim’s father, Wilfredo Velasco, told The STAR that his son had been planning to resign from his work “because of tremendous pressure.”

“He has a pending application to the (United Kingdom) because he said he could no longer take the corruption in his work,” he said.

Asked if his son had been receiving death threats, the father said he didn’t have any idea but “he would always tell me about his heartaches in relation to his work.”

Wilfredo said his son does not have any vehicle and would only take the Light Rail Transit and the jeepney to and from work.

Superintendent Ferdie del Rosario, Caloocan police investigation division chief, said the gunmen could have “studied the routine of the victim as indicated by the accuracy (with which) the murder was perpetrated.”

Del Rosario said a team will be sent to the JRMMC to question the victim’s co-workers.

A source, meanwhile, told The STAR that the victim could have gotten the ire of “some contractors who wanted to have the lion’s share of the projects at the JRMMC.”