68-year-old stabbed by killer allegedly hired for P20K

A 68-year-old senior citizen was stabbed to death by a man who was allegedly paid P20,000 to commit the crime in Pasig City, according to a "24 Oras" report by Emil Sumangil on Wednesday.

In the CCTV footage, suspect Minardo Lialde, who was wearing a jacket and a helmet, was seen alighting from his motorcycle and walking towards an alley to follow a man.  The next scenes were no longer caught on camera, but screams were heard.

“Ang nakita natin na tama ng saksak ay fatal sa tagiliran at harapan,” said Pasig Police chief Colonel Celerino Sacro Jr., referring to the stab wounds sustained by victim Antonio Bantilan, who died after the incident.

Lialde was able to escape but was arrested in a follow-up operation in Pateros.

"The arrested suspect was able to reveal the mastermind and admitted the commission of the crime," said Police Brigadier General Wilson Asueta, director of the Eastern Police District.

The suspect revealed that he killed the victim after being given P20,000 by Ramon Velasco alias Ara, whom he identified as the "mastermind."

"Alang-alang sa pera, dahil una magba-bagong taon, gusto ko lang maging masaya," Lialde said.

The Pasig Police chief said the disagreement between the victim and the alleged mastermind had to do with money.

“Pera po [ang motibo] dahil itong may-ari ng property na si victim ay sinanla niya ng P500,000 doon sa mastermind at nung sisingil na ng mastermind ang pera, instead na magbayad ay binigyan siya ng hanggang January 24 para pa alisin itong mastermind," Sacro said.

Velasco denied the allegation and said that he did not know the suspect. 

"Wala akong kinalaman sa mga pinagsasabi niya sakin, sa totoo lang hindi ko siya kilala," Velasco said.

However, the police said that CCTV footage before the crime showed Velasco and Lialde talking.

“Ito palang biktima tuwing gabi, nagsasara ng water meter. Doon nabuo ang plano na doon nila sasaksakin ang biktima,” Sacro said.

"Humihingi ako ng kapatawaran sa mga kamag-anak ng nabiktima ko po," Lialde said. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News