Trader shot dead in Subic

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT  , Philippines  —  A prominent businessman was killed in front of a hotel here on Wednesday night.

Dominic Sytin, 55, was shot at close range by motorcycle-riding assailants as he was about to enter the Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel.

Sytin’s bodyguard, Efren Espartero, was seriously wounded and remains confined in a hospital.   

A task force was created to investigate the incident.

Sytin was the founder and chief executive officer of United Auctioneers Inc., the biggest auctioneer of used trucks and heavy equipment at this freeport. He also owned the ACEA Subic Bay Resort.

Senators condemned the murder of Sytin even as they urged the Philippine National Police to use the full force of the law to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said a group of senators were set to file a resolution urging the police to conduct a thorough investigation.

Zubiri said Sytin was a philantrophist and a friend of many senators and Cabinet members. He said the businessman was with several senators in a gathering only last week.