YET another employee of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) fell victim to an assassin’s bullet after being shot dead early Friday evening, February 11, 2022, while on his way home in Sta. Ana, Manila.
The initial police report on the incident identified the fatality as Gil Manlapaz, Jr., 47, detailed at the Management Information Systems Technology Group (MISTG) at the Port of Manila (POM).
Manlapaz, police said, had just visited their house along Pedro Gil St. and has just boarded his gray Toyota Fortuner (NBP-5378) to leave, when the gunman riding on a black ‘Suzuki Skydrive’ motorcycle approached him from the driver’s side and shot him several times before escaping successfully.
Manlapaz’s colleagues at the BOC said he sustained 3 head shots and was declared dead on arrival at the hospital where he was brought by his relatives.
Manlapaz would be the second murdered BOC employee since the murder of Eudes Nerpio, chief appraiser at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) last January 7, 2022 (see also Pinoy Exposé, Volume 3, Issue No. 1/2).
‘Climate of fear’ at the waterfront
The killing of Manlapaz was only among the series of violent incidents—all unsolved up to now—that has plagued the BOC, starting with the shooting of lawyer Melvin Tan, assigned at the BOC main office, before Christmas last December 2021.
Tan, who survived despite reportedly receiving 7 bullets, was attacked by a motorcycle-riding gunman in Las Piñas City while on his way home.
Tan was followed by the killing of Nerpio last January 7; POM principal examiner Ryan Balite Difuntorum, for his part, luckily survived despite being shot in the neck when he was ambushed, also in Manila, last January 14, 2022 (see also Pinoy Exposé, Volume 3, Issue No. 3).
“Malaki ang tiwala namin sa kabutihan ni Comm. Guerrero at naniniwala kami na hindi niya alam ang totoong nangyari,”
Prior to all these attacks, Guerrero and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) last November 29, 2021, received a list containing the names of 14 alleged “corrupt” customs personnel where the names of Tan and Nerpio were included.
The sender, a certain ‘Mario Tan,’ who claims to be an “anti-corruption advocate,” had called on
Guerrero and the PACC to conduct an “in-depth investigation” on the alleged corrupt activities of the listed personalities.
In the case of Difuntorum, customs employees speculated that his shooting was a case of “mistaken” identity as there is a customs employee surnamed ‘Balite’ in the list.
Although the BOC claimed it has offered a reward of P300,000 to anybody who can help identify the shooter of Difuntorum and added it has asked the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), these pronouncements (see also Pinoy Exposé, Volume 3, Issue No. 3) did not prevent the commission of violent acts against the BOC, with customs officials, headed by Guerrero, appearing helpless in preventing them.
Last January 29, 2022, a grenade was thrown at the compound of the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS/Customs Police) at the POM (see also Pinoy Exposé article, January 29, 2022) while 2 days before Manlapaz was killed, on February 9, 2022, another grenade—which exploded—was thrown at the house of Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement (EG) Atty. Teddy Raval (see Pinoy Exposé article of February 9, 2022), damaging several vehicles parked outside. Fortunately, there was no other casualty.
‘Frameup suspect?’
The announcement by the BOC that a man was arrested at the MICP last January 25, 2022, while “acting suspiciously” (see also Pinoy Exposé, Volume 3, Issue No. 5) and who is now being linked to the series of shooting incidents of customs personnel is also expected not to assure bureau officials and employees that investigators have now a clear lead.
The suspect, Ricmoreno Paja, was allegedly found with a loaded .45 caliber pistol, a fragmentation grenade and 2 sachets of shabu.
Paja was initially accosted by the private security guards (Blue Guards) at the port after noticing he was allegedly taking pictures of the car plates of the employees’ vehicles.
He was then brought before the local office of the ESS for further investigation.
Paja, sources said, is also being particularly linked to the killing of Nerpio.
However, a family member of Paja who contacted Pinoy Exposé to give their version of the incident claimed he was a victim of a “frame up” and that the gun, grenade and shabu found on him were all “planted.”
The relative claimed they would come out publicly “in due time” to “demolish” the BOC’s allegations against him.
The relative also called on the customs chief to “dig deeper” on Paja’s arrest by the ESS, stating the belief that Guerrero would never tolerate such criminal act.
“Malaki ang tiwala namin sa kabutihan ni Comm. Guerrero at naniniwala kami na hindi niya alam ang totoong nangyari,” the relative said.