Witnesses sought on Honda employee's killing

MANILA, Philippines - The family and friends of a Honda employee, who was shot dead along the Balibago-Tagaytay Road in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna last Tuesday, are calling on the public to help identify his killer.

The victim, Tairick Bonto, 24, was found sprawled on the road in Barangay Don Jose, Sta. Rosa City at around 4 p.m. Tuesday beside his Isuzu Canter (license plate ZDB-297).

“We are calling on any motorist or person who might have witnessed the crime to surface and shed light on the killing in order to give justice to the victim,” said Johnny Fetalvero, general manager of Honda Caloocan.

Fetalvero said Bonto was the eldest and the sole breadwinner, sending his three younger siblings to college. His parents are small-time balut vendors only.

He said Bonto was on his way back to Honda Caloocan from the Honda Cars Philippines office in Laguna when the incident occurred.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, Laguna police director, said they were having difficulty investigating the case, particularly in identifying the perpetrator since no one had surfaced yet to give the account of what really happened.

“We are asking the help of the media and appealing to those who might have witnessed the incident to help us,” he said.

Cruz said Bonto died on the spot after sustaining a bullet wound in his back and another at the back of his head.

Bonto was still holding his cell phone when his body was found and all his belongings in the vehicle were intact, ruling out robbery as the motive, he said.

Cruz said the incident could have been triggered by a traffic altercation since Bonto’s body was some three steps away from the truck he was driving.

“There are indications that he got out of the vehicle and walked three steps. We believe that he was about to confront someone when he was shot,” Cruz said.

Cruz said they have coordinated with Bonto’s family and co-workers but they all believe he had no known enemy.

Fetalvero described Bonto, who had been with Honda for three years, as one of their jolliest employees and most trusted guys.

“It was ruthless, it was another case of senseless killing,” he said.