Police arrested the suspected driver of the motorcycle that was used by an assailant in his getaway after he gunned down a businesswoman near a market in barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City.
Witnesses had identified David Bola-bola Llanto, 35 as the one who accompanied the gunman who fatally shot Emelda Tio Yu Friday night, said PO1 Jerome Lendio of the Mandaue City Police Station 1.
A .38 cal. revolver was seized from Llanto’s possession.
Police said the gunman was identified as a certain Ongod, who remains at large.
Llanto denied involvement in the killing.
“Naglibog lagi ko nganong ako ang napasanginlan nga di man gani ko kahibaw mo-drive og tricycle. Sakit gyud kayo (I am confused why they’re implicating me in the crime. I don’t even know how to drive a tricycle),” Llanto said while behind bars.
Llanto said he and his live-in partner have just moved to a boarding house in barangay Manyutong more than two months ago.
Llanto previously lived in barangay Hipodromo, Cebu City.
Llanto said he was surprised when police arrested him Saturday night in a public market in barangay Centro. The man said he and his two friends had gone to the market to look for a computer technician.
Yu was aboard a tricycle when a lone gunman shot her in the chest past 6 p.m. Friday. The tricycle driver, Roger Calumba, and another passenger Arnel Juanite were wounded in the attack.
To prove his innocence, Llanto asked the police to view the security camera footage from establishments near the crime scene that may have captured the attack on video.
Police are still investigating the motive of the killing.
Yu was the branch manager of Sun Gold Marketing Corp in barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue.
The killing left the victim’s family in shock.
The victim’s aunt, Elena Tio Alaba, said they suspect that the victim was not the target since they could not think of someone who could be behind the killing.
“Kana siya sukad pagkabata, hilomon, buotan kaayo, simple ra pud kaayo na siya pagkatawo.
Even sa ilang business, bisan unsay ihatag nga share sa iya wa na siyay daghang questions, dawat ra na siya. Wa gyud nay reklamo (She was a good person, a silent type since she was a child. A simple person. Even in handling their business, she was willing to share and hardly complained), ” said Alaba.
“Bisan sa trabaho, mag-Inday raman gani na sa iya ang iyang mga trabahante. Basta wa gyud na siyay kontra, bisan gamay wa gyud mi nahibaw-an. Mao nagduda mi nga posibleng napagan ra pud siya (Even in her office, she called her workers Inday. We don’t know someone who bore grudge against her that’s why we are suspecting that she was not the target),” the aunt added.
By living a simple life, Alaba said, it was common for Yu to ride a public utility vehicle and tricycle in going to her office and going home.
The victim would usually drop by the market to buy vegetables before going home to Holy Family townhomes in barangay Maguikay, Elena said.