Camp Vicente Lim, Laguna – An unidentified gunman shot a close ally and political supporter of the Revilla clan in Cavite on Friday afternoon, police said.
Superintendent Ulyses Cruz, police chief of Imus town, identified the victim as Mariano de Leon Jr., 45, alias Spider, a resident of Park Place Village, Barangay Anabu 1, Imus, Cavite.
Cruz said De Leon, a businessman, was a former close-in bodyguard of Sen. Bong Revilla when he was still the governor in Cavite. “He was also a strong political supporter of the Revillas in the May 14 elections,” Cruz added.
According to reports, De Leon had just stepped out of a gym in Villa Celina Subdivision in Bayang Luma, Imus when a lone suspect armed with a caliber .45 pistol approached him from behind and shot him at close range several times.
Police said De Leon sustained three gunshot wounds in different parts of the body and is now recuperating in an undisclosed hospital in Metro Manila.
Senior Superintendent Fidel Posadas, Cavite police director, said they have yet to determine the motive of the shooting.