Robbery ruled out in CIDG official’s slay

MANILA, Philippines - Investigators ruled out robbery as a motive for the killing of an official of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Pasig City last Tuesday, an official said yesterday.

The murder of Chief Inspector Rommel Macatlang, 52, appears to be work-related, said Chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District (EPD) director.

Macatlang’s killers “did not bother to take the victim’s two handguns, cellular phone and wallet. So definitely, robbery is not the motive behind the incident,” Sapitula said in an interview.

The victim had been very active in the government’s war against illegal drugs during his stint as chief of the CIDG’s eastern field office in Pasig and could have earned the ire of drug syndicates, Sapitula added.

He was also able to work for the disbarment of a lawyer but was himself suspended in the process, the EPD chief said. It was unclear whether Macatlag was under suspension when he was killed.

Sapitula presided over a case conference of Special Investigation Task Group Macatlang and was briefed on the development of the investigation.

Macatlang was gassing up his white Mitsubishi Adventure van (CRT-560) at a gas station at the corner of F. Ortigas and Meralco Avenues when he was shot by motorcycle-riding gunmen at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

He died at the scene from four gunshot wounds in the head and body.

Left-handed killer

According to Sapitula, the incident was caught by the closed-circuit television camera of a nearby establishment, but the assailants were wearing helmets.

“What we established is that the gunman is left-handed,” said Sapitula, adding that they are now coordinating with the “underworld” for the identification of a left-handed contract killer.

Investigators  are checking Macatlang’s mobile phone for persons he contacted just before he was killed.

Macatlang had just left the birthday celebration of Senior Superintendent Belli Tamayo, chief of the CIDG-National Capital Region office, and was on his way home when he was attacked.