Customs man slain in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — A Bureau of Customs (BOC) employee was killed in an ambush in Sta. Ana, Manila on Friday night.

Gil Cua Manlapaz, 47, an information technology operator, had just entered his vehicle, which was parked near his house at the corner of Pedro Gil and Pasig Line streets, when he was attacked at around 7:30 p.m., according to the Manila Police District.

The assailant, who rode a motorcycle, approached Manlapaz and shot himin the head, police said.

Witnesses told police three gunshots were heard.

Manlapaz was declared dead on arrival at the Sta. Ana Hospital.

The bureau is coordinating with the Philippine National Police on the investigation of Manlapaz’s murder, BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said yesterday.

“We strongly condemn the attacks against our defenseless personnel. We will get to the bottom of these attacks and make the perpetrators pay before the bar of justice,” Guerrero told The STAR in a text message.

BOC records show that Manlapaz was the fourth employee of the bureau attacked since December last year.

Guerrero said there is an ongoing investigation of the incident as he alerted all BOC personnel to take precautionary security measures against still unidentified attackers.

Probing explosion

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) launched an investigation to determine the people responsible for the grenade attack at the house of BOC Deputy Commissioner on enforcement and security service Teddy Sandy Raval last Wednesday.

The explosion occurred in front of Raval’s house along Florpina street in Barangay Roxas District at past 2 a.m.

Surveillance camera footage aired on ABS-CBN showed two men on a motorcycle speeding away from the scene after the blast.

Probers said there were no casualties in the explosion, which was discovered by members of Raval’s family at around 6:30 a.m.

A sport utility vehicle, a subcompact car and two motorcycles were damaged by shrapnel from the blast.

The incident was reported to QCPD Station 10, which is conducting the investigation.

Earlier attacks

In mid-January, BOC employee Ryan Difuntorum survived an attack by a motorcycle-riding assailant while driving in Sampaloc, Manila.

Two attacks also targeted BOC employees in December last year, according to earlier reports.

The bureau and its employees also became targets of grenade attacks.

In late January, a motorcycle-riding man threw a bomb that did not explode near a gate of the BOC in Port Area, Manila. – Emmanuel Tupas, Robertzon Ramirez