BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO City – The police have not established a motive yet in the killing of 40-year-old tricycle driver Arnold Elipio on Monday morning.
Elipio was shot to death by a motorcycle-riding gunman in Barangay Bonifacio, Arevalo district.
He was a tokhang surrenderee in 2016 and “graduated” from drug rehabilitation before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
But Police Captain Mavin Laraño, chief of the Arevalo Police Station, told Panay News, “Ang status niya nga tokhang surrenderee before paga-id-idan pa gid na naton… Indi pa gid ako ka-confirm pero ang tanan nga information nga nabaton naton pagatutukan pa.”
Punong Barangay Allan Macazar earlier speculated that the killing could be political since Elipio used to work for him.
He added that Barangay Secretary Gereldine Diocson and the victim were heading to the barangay hall at the time of the incident.
Further, Diocson’s husband, Jose, had plans to run in the upcoming election under Macazar, according to their son Gerald in an interview with Radyo Bandera Iloilo.
“Sa subong wala na kita nagalantaw sang motibo angut sa pulitika nga una gin-mention ni Kap [Macazar]. Gin pamangkot naton si Sec [Diocson], wala man siya plano magpadalagan kag ang aton biktima wala man to plano magpadalagan,” clarified Laraño.
The 37-year-old Diocson was hit on her arm and is now in stable condition at the Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital.
“Okay na subong condition ni sec, pero ang aton nga suspect daw wala pa gid lead nga makatudlo sa iya,” added Laraño.
Seven fired cartridges of a .40 pistol, one .40 pistol ammunition, one fired cartridge of a .25 pistol and a deformed fired bullet were recovered.
Closed-circuit camera television footage showed the male suspect on a black scooter wearing a gray shirt, denim trousers and a gray helmet./PN
