MANILA, Philippines – Resorts World Manila attacker Jessie Javier Carlos lived in a two-story house in Manila that shared space with a school offering education for students with special needs.
Its billboard says WIA Academy Inc. accepts students in nursery, Kinder 1 and Kinder 2 and “is a pre-school standard setting with provisions of a SPED TEACHER.” According to authorities, it was where Carlos’ wife used to teach children who had learning problems or disabilities.
“Our regular classroom has teaching strategies can help students with learning disabilities to improve their Academic performance,” the signage further says.
According to the school’s Facebook page, WIA “is a two story floor preschool catering for 20 children in the 4-5 year age range. WIA provides early education and care for children from 9am – 3pm five days per week (Monday to Friday).”
It also says, “WIA has strong working relationships with the Local Government, Health Centers and the Department of Social Welfare and Services, and the Homeowners Association of Felix Huertas.”
Photo of the pre-school’s signage from Google April 2014 image capture
But Carlos’ neighbors interviewed by radio dzMM on Monday, June 5, said they didn’t see any students going to the school and it was seldom that they saw Carlos go out of his house at 1663 Felix Huertas St. corner San Lazaro, Barangay 339, Zone 34, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which authorities said was Carlos’ last known address.
Investigators have not said if Carlos’ house in Sta. Cruz was the same property that he did not declare in his 2003 to 2006 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, which became among the grounds of his 2014 dismissal by the Office of the Ombudsman, which charged him of committing grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty while working as tax specialist at the Department of Finance’s One Stop Shop Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center.
Asked if he knew Carlos, a tricycle driver, who grew up in the area, said, “Sa mukha lang po. Pero bihirang napapadpad dito ‘yan, bihira lang lumalabas ng bahay [I knew him only by face. But it was seldom that he went here, he rarely went out of the house].”
Another neighbor, also a tricycle driver, said he noticed that there were vehicles that had often parked in front of Carlos’ house. He also said he often saw the family driver of the Carloses in the attacker’s residence and Carlos or his wife’s mother ride the tricycle from the residence.
“Pero ‘yong pamilya n’ya ho, madalang ho …parang di sila nag stay-in d’yan [But his family, we seldom saw them…it looks like they didn’t stay there],” the neighbor said.
“Bihira lang ho talagang may lumalabas na tao d’yan. Kung meron man hong lumabas, tatawag ng tricycle. Pero madalas talaga d’yan, ‘yong driver [It was seldom that we saw people coming out there. If there was, the person called and rode a tricycle. It was the driver who frequented the area],” he added.
DzMM said Monday morning that the body the 42-year-old Carlos had remained at the Veronica Memorial Chapel in Pasay City.
Probe continues
Metro Manila police chief Director Oscar Albayalde in a separate interview with dzMM on Monday said authorities had continued its inquiry into the June 2 Resorts World attack, including the investigation about Carlos’ links and background, through a newly created special task force.
“Hindi natin binibitawan ‘yong kaso…Hindi ibig sabihin nakuha ‘yong suspek at na-identify ay tigil na po ‘yong imbestigasyon d’yan. At ang alam natin ay nag-imbestiga na rin ang National Bureau of Investigation. So most probably, mag-joint investigation na lang ang gagawin d’yan para wala pong overlapping,” said Albayalde.
[We’re not letting go of the case…It doesn’t mean that the investigation will stop because we already have and identified the suspect. And what we know is that the National Bureau of Investigation is also looking into it. So most probably, we will conduct a joint investigation so there will be no overlapping.]
Albaylde confirmed the neighbors’ statements that there were no longer people living in Carlos’ house. He said Carlos’ wife used to take care of children with special needs in the establishment, which he said was just a day care center and not a regular school.
“Totoo po ‘yan dahil ang lumalabas na asawa n’ya… ‘yong day care na sinasabi meron lang po s’ya na inaalagaan na mangilan-ngilan na special child…Actually, hindi po talaga s’ya school, school for special child na I think mga dalawa or tatlo lang po yata yong inaalagaan ng asawa n’ya,” said Albayalde.
The police official said Carlos was not often seen in his residence because “hindi po sociable na tao [because he was not a sociable person].”
Photo of Jessie Carlos’ two-story residence in Sta. Cruz, Manila that also houses a pre-school from Google April 2014 image capture
Authorities earlier said the Resorts World attacker was the father of three children and was married to Jen Carlos but the couple had separated because of a misunderstanding over Jessie’s gambling habits.
Albaylde said Jessie and Jen were practically on non-speaking terms with each other since Jessie got hooked on gambling, which started their disagreement.
“Sila po ay halos hindi na nag-uusap na mag-asawa magmula po ng nalululong s’ya sa sugal dahil ‘yon na po ang simula ng away nila.”
