Police identify suspect in billiards patron’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — Police have identified one of the two assailants who killed billiards patron and businessman Ceferino “Perry” Mariano and his driver in an ambush in Quezon City.

Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuano, spokesman for the Philippine National Police, said the special investigation team of the Quezon City police has the name of the driver of the getaway motorcycle.

Police are tracking down the suspect.

Tuano declined to disclose the name of the suspect, who was identified through latent prints lifted from the motorcycle.

The suspect has a pending warrant of arrest for a previous case, which Tuano did not specify.

While Tuano did not go into details, he said the manhunt for the motorcycle rider and the gunman has expanded outside Metro Manila.

The 75-year-old Mariano and his driver, Norberto Orimaco, were shot dead at the corner of Timog Avenue and EDSA in Barangay South Triangle last week.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said it is important to arrest the suspects to unmask the brains in Mariano’s murder.

“Our investigators are digging deeper to identify the mastermind,” Nartatez told reporters.

Probers are looking into business rivalry as among the motives, citing Mariano’s background as owner of several nightclubs in Quezon City and operator of small town lottery.

Authorities are tracing Mariano’s activities months before the ambush for leads on the mastermind’s identity.