Suspect in New Zealand tourist’s slay surrenders

MANILA, Philippines — Hours after police put up a P500,000 bounty for his arrest, the man who allegedly shot dead a tourist from New Zealand in Makati surrendered in Pasig City yesterday.

John Mar Manalo, 25, was picked up by lawmen led by Southern Police District director Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft along Hill Crest Drive in Barangay Oranbo at around 1:11 a.m.

He was placed under police custody based on a warrant of arrest issued by a court in Malolos City, Bulacan for another robbery case.

Police are hunting down Manalo’s alleged cohort, who was the one driving a getaway motorcycle.

Kraft said Manalo surrendered as he wanted to clear his name of any involvement in the death of 34-year-old Nicholas Peter Stacey, the New Zealander tourist who was killed in a robbery in Barangay Palanan on Sunday.

“Natatakot daw siya at isa sa dahilan niya hindi raw siya involved doon sa krimen na ‘yun (He is scared and one of his reasons is he was not involved in that crime),” Kraft said in an interview with Teleradyo.

Manalo was tagged by witnesses, including Stacey’s girlfriend, as the person who shot the tourist.

However, Manalo denied he was the one who shot Stacey, claiming that he was asleep at his house when Stacey was killed.

In an interview with reporters aired over News5, Manalo asked Stacey’s relatives and the other witnesses to meet with him personally so that he could prove his innocence.

“Wala po akong kasalanan. Hindi po ako ‘yung taong ‘yun nung gabi na ‘yun (I am not guilty. I am not that man on that night),” he said.

Manalo said it was impossible for him to be in Makati as he had just come from a family outing in Calatagan, Batangas.

He claimed he has witnesses who would prove that he was at his house when Stacey was killed.

Manalo said he learned he was being implicated in Stacey’s killing only from news reports on Thursday.