MANILA, Philippines—The chief political officer of Mandaluyong City, Joselito S. Torres, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman on Friday night, shortly after his birthday dawned.
Torres, who turned 47 on Saturday, was shot twice in the head by a lone and still unidentified gunman who approached his car along Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong, in front of E. Lines Digital Printing and Internet Café, at 9:49 p.m., police said.
He was rushed to the Mandaluyong City Medical Center and later to the University of Sto.Tomas hospital in Manila where he died at 12:43 a.m. on February 5.
With mayor 16 years
Torres had been a close associate of Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos for the past 16 years.
City officials described him as a “kindhearted” man who “had no known enemies.”
Torres was the chief political strategist of Abalos since the latter first entered politics as a city councilor in 1995.
“Torres was the brains behind the mayor’s political programs up until his death,” Jimmy Isidro, the city’s chief public information officer, said.
Senior Superintendent Armando Bolalin, Mandaluyong chief of police, told the Inquirer that Torres was inside his gray Toyota Fortuner with the driver’s side window rolled down when the gunman shot him.
Gunman walked casually
Witnesses said the gunman walked casually toward the victim, fired two shots, then ran across the street toward a parked motorcycle, mounted it and sped away.
A barangay official who witnessed the incident gave chase but lost the fleeing suspect on the bridge leading to Makati.
Witnesses said Torres was still able to back up his vehicle but hit a lamppost.
He was rushed to the Mandaluyong City Medical Center where doctors worked to stabilize his blood pressure. The absence of a neurosurgeon at the hospital at the time prompted Torres’ transfer to the UST hospital, where he died just more than an hour after he was admitted.
Bolalin said police were exploring all possible motives in the killing, but he ruled out carnapping as a motive.
Crime scene was busy
“The vehicle was still there. If you were a car thief, you would have told the driver to get off, and then taken the vehicle,” Bolalin said.
He said the crime was committed “boldly” as the crime scene was a busy area and was adequately lighted at the time.
Police retrieved two empty slugs from Torres’ vehicle. “We have submitted them to the crime lab,” Bolalin said.
Abalos appeals to Aquino
Abalos condemned the “brazen” killing of Torres.
In a statement, the mayor appealed to President Aquino and other government officials concerned to do their best to solve the spate of killings in the metropolis. He issued a directive to the city police to specifically exhaust all their efforts to arrest Torres’ killer.
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