MANILA, Philippines — A tricycle driver who reportedly refused to become an asset of his village and the police was gunned down while in a separate incident a four-year old boy was wounded by shrapnel when a grenade exploded near his home, both in Makati City, overnight.
In yet another incident, also in Makati, police arrested a guest at a birthday party who showed off his gun and claimed to be an Army soldier.
Tricycle driver Rolly Martinez, 49, had just parked his vehicle on Blueberry in Barangay Rizal when he was shot by motorcycle-riding killers.
His wife Blessie claimed Martinez had been receiving death threats since refusing to become an informer for the campaign against drugs and acknowledged that she had helped dissuade him.
At the same time, she admitted Martinez had resumed using drugs and knew a number of peddlers in Barangay Rizal but was trying hard to kick the habit, which was a major reason for turning down to offer to become an informer.
With her husband dead, Blessie said she also fears for her life.
The commander of Police Community Precinct 10, whose area of operations includes Barangay Rizal, refused to comment on Martinez’s killing.
Meanwhile, the mother of the injured boy said their family was sleeping in their house along Osmeña Highway past 1 a.m. when “nagulat na lang akong may sumabog tapos umiyak na lang ‘yung anak ko, duguan na po ‘yung anak ko (I was surprised by the explosion and then heard my child crying, he was already bloodied).”
The house and a towing truck parked nearby were riddled by shrapnel.
“Nakaparada ‘yung wrecker dito, ‘yung tao ‘andun lahat sa unahan nagkakape. Ngayon, may motor na huminto, bumaba ‘yung tao at may inilagay sa ilalim sabay umalis na, maya-maya ‘yun na, sumabog (The wrecker was parked here, people were having coffee nearby. A motorcycle stopped, a man alighted and placed something on the ground then left, and in a while, the explosion happened),” the driver of the truck said.
The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital in Pasay City but his mother complained he was allegedly refused treatment “dahil kailangan ko pa raw po ipa-medico legal, eh wala po kaming pera pang pa-medico legal sa kanya (because I was told to have him checked up by a medico-legal, but we have no money for that).”
A rescue team from Makati took the victim to the Ospital ng Makati for treatment.
In Barangay South Side, Sonny Boy Paran maintained that he was a soldier up for deployment to Marawi after he was arrested at the birthday party where he had been brandishing his .45 caliber pistol.
Unfortunately for Paran, a member of the Presidential Security Group was also at the party and called up poice.
Village councilman Ronaldo Lubo said aside from belittling the barangay tanod, Paran also mocked the officer who arrested him and insisted the policeman could not arrest him.
Aside from the gun, which was unlicensed, three identification cards and an Army uniform were seized from Paran.