By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
Investigators are still facing a blank wall as to the identities of the gunmen who killed Pasay City councilor Borbie Rivera at the open parking area of a mall in Las Piñas City over the weekend, the Southern Police District (SPD) said yesterday.
SPD director Chief Superintendent Tomas Apolinario Jr. said Station Investigation Task Group (SITG) Rivera, so far, have acquired the statements of on-duty mall guards Joseph Halayahay, 38, and Alicia Berangel, 41, who both claimed that a lone gunman casually approached the wheelchair-bounded Rivera and shot him repeatedly around 8:30 p.m.
Rivera was declared dead on arrival at Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City at 8:57 p.m. on the same day. The gunman then boarded a motorcycle driven by another cohort and escaped.
As of Monday, the SITG Rivera, composed of investigators from Las Piñas, Pasay, and Makati police stations, have yet to get a copy of closed circuit television (CCTV) footages from the management of the mall.
Senior Supt. Marion Balonglong, chief of Las Piñas police, said a formal written letter was already sent to the mall management for the acquisition of the copy of CCTV footages, through SITG Rivera head, Chief Inspector Rey Villoria.
Balonglong also said the family of Rivera still has not yet issued statements.
Balonglong said the investigation will focus on Rivera’s dismissed murder charge in 2015 as the “number one motive” behind the killing.
“Maraming angulo pero doon muna kami sesentro dahil meron na ring mga banta sa buhay niya dati pa simula ng ma-dismiss ‘yung kaso. May order sa taas na isama ‘yun sa imbestigasyon,” Balonglong said.
It was learned that Rivera and seven others were arrested and charged with murder in April 2015 after being linked to a drive-by shooting incident in Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati City, that killed Mark Felizardo Baggang on January 24, 2015. However, only his case was dismissed.
Police are also looking into the possible involvement of Rivera’s work as chair of Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC) in Pasay City and concurrent captain of Barangay 112.
SITG Rivera will also investigate the alleged link of Rivera to the killing of race car driver Enzo Pastor in 2014.
This, after a confessed hitman Alvin Nidua tagged him in a sworn statement as one of the people who tried to hire him to kill Pastor.