Cebu City police arrest 4 suspects in shooting of Nicolas Ting - Cebu Circle | Cebu City, Philippines

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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Cebu City police arrest 4 suspects in shooting of Nicolas Ting

07/01/2010 - A MEMBER of the Ting clan was accused of being the alleged mastermind in the shooting of businessman Nicolas Ting last June 21.

Larry S. Ting, 54, a nephew of brothers Nicolas and the slain Manuel Ting, was among the four men arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in the shooting of Nicolas in Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City.

Nicolas, 69, survived the attack despite gunshot wounds in the face and chest.

Larry was arrested in his house in Humay-Humay, Lapu-Lapu City at past 6 p.m. last Tuesday, after he was named as the alleged mastermind in the plot to kill Nicolas, since he could not pay his debt of reportedly about P20 million.

Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, Task Force Ting commander, said Larry’s failure to pay his debt allegedly drove him to have his uncle killed.

“What we gathered from the family was that Larry owes a big amount of money from Nicolas. Sinisingil na si Larry, nahirapan nang magbayad (Larry was asked to pay his debt but he couldn’t),” Buenafe said.

With the arrest of the four suspects, Buenafe said they consider the case solved, but they are still investigating the killing of Manuel.

Manuel, 72, the older brother of Nicolas, was killed in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, a day after the attack on Nicolas.

Cebu City Police Office Director Comendador said the task force got the break on the Nicolas’s case after receiving information that Edwin Juab, who was allegedly hired by Larry to kill his uncle, talked about the killing with his neighbors in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

Larry allegedly hired Juab, 28, a leader of the defunct Trese Hudas Gang and an alleged gun-for-hire, to shoot Nicolas for a fee of P200,000.

Juab, who paid Jordan Miral, 30, of Sitio Bato, Ermita, and a 16-year-old boy, to carry out the crime, were arrested in separate operations by the Cebu City Police Office and other members of Task Force Ting.

Juab, who was arrested Monday night, reportedly served as the spotter; Miral was the driver of the getaway motorcycle and the 16-year-old boy was the triggerman.

Comendador said the arrest of Larry was based on the reported confession of Juab tagging the businessman’s nephew as the mastermind.

Larry refused to comment on the allegation when reporters approached him for his statement.

According to a report over GMA Balitang Bisdak, lawyer Nilo Seno visited Larry at the Camp Sotero Cabahug Tuesday night.

Seno, however, said he could not comment on Larry’s case because he has not yet been hired as the legal counsel.
Sun.Star Cebu tried but failed to reach Seno yesterday.

Last Monday, a team from the Theft and Robbery Section led by Senior Insp. Bonifacio Garciano initially arrested Juab for playing mahjong without a permit.

Gunman, 16

During the investigation, Juab reportedly squealed and claimed he was the one who was contacted by Larry to kill Nicolas.
Juab also disclosed the names of Miral and the 16-year-old boy as his accomplices.

Acting on the information given by Juab, the team of Chief Insp. George Ylanan of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch went to Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City at 1:30 a.m., Tuesday, and arrested the 16-year-old gunman.

The .45 pistol loaded with seven bullets allegedly used by the minor in the shooting was also recovered.

At 2 p.m. the same day, Miral was arrested in Sitio Bato by the team of Garciano.

Four hours later, Larry fell in the hands of the police operatives.

Asked for the basis of the arrests of the four suspects when the shooting happened last week, Comendador said they were part of the “continuous, uninterrupted operations.”

Deal

Juab, in an interview with reporters, said the deal to kill Nicolas was made last Dec. 3, 2009, after a former gang member reportedly told him somebody was looking for a gun-for-hire.

The man, whom Juab only identified as a certain James, gave him P3,000 as initial payment and a cellular phone that would serve as the line between the financier and Juab.

Juab said from then on, he monitored the whereabouts of Nicolas.

He said there were two failed attempts before the attack was carried out last June 21.

He said last March he followed Nicolas to Dumaguete City where he was supposed to kill the victim but failed.

Juab said it was in Dumaguete City when he saw the face of Larry, who only gave instructions through the cellular phone since December.

Mole

Juab said while talking to Larry on the cellular phone, he reportedly spotted the alleged mastermind in the lodging house where he stayed in Dumaguete.

Juab said he did not approach Larry but remembered he had a big mole on his face.

Last June 21, Juab said, he, Miral and the minor got the opportunity to shoot Nicolas.

The gunman, in a separate interview, admitted shooting Nicolas.

He said Juab called him up and told him about the whereabouts of their target.

The minor said he was made to use shabu and drink beer by Juab before they carried out the crime.

Meanwhile, Buenafe said the task force will continue working on the case of Manuel’s killing as there are still several “loose ends that needed to be connected.”

Related

Both Buenafe and Comendador said the attacks on brothers Nicolas and Manuel are related, and that they are trying to get to the bottom of it.

“In due time, we will be able to solve the case,” Buenafe said.

Comendador added that with the help of at least four witnesses, the task force has identified the suspects in the killing of Manuel, especially the gunman.

Efforts are underway to arrest the gunman, which Comendador said, would eventually lead to the identity of all the suspects, including the mastermind

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