Bizman shot dead inside his restobar

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A businessman, who was implicated but later exonerated in the 1986 killing of Antique Governor Evelio Javier, was gunned down by two unidentified men right inside his own restaurant-bar at Brgy. Bolilao in Mandurriao district of this city, Wednesday night.

The victim, identified as 64-year-old Jimmy Punzalan, a resident of Jaro district, succumbed to multiple wounds on the head.

Police said Punzalan was watching television at his Papa Jims Sea Bounty, one of the drinking joints inside the Boliland Food and Drinks Garden, when two persons approached him and, without any word, pumped bullets at him from a rifle.

Punzalan died on the spot, while his secretary and cashier, Shirley Medalla of La Paz district, was also injured. The assailants immediately fled the scene on board a silver-gray Toyota Fortuner, possibly toward Jalandoni Street in Jaro.

Policemen manning the Bolilao Sub-Station, which is around 600 meters from the crime scene, responded to the area and brought Punzalan to West Visayas State University Medical Center.

Senior Supt. Ruperto Floro, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director, said his men recovered 16 empty shells of a 5.56 mm gun and a metallic fragment. The ICPO immediately created a special investigation task group, led by intelligence section chief, Chief Insp. Ipil Dueñas, following incident, he said.

A retired member of the Philippine Constabulary, Punzalan was the president of the Philippine Constable Association, Inc-Iloilo City. The group was supposed to hold its 10th anniversary celebration yesterday but was cancelled following what happened to its president.

Decades ago, before the Javier slay case was resolved, Punzalan went on optional retirement from the PC service. Reports have it that he was involved in “bookies” operation of the small town lottery (STL), but the police have yet to verify this. (FREEMAN)