Father of Ateneo shooting suspect shot dead in Basilan —police

The father of Dr. Chao-Tiao Yumol, the suspect in the Ateneo de Manila University shooting incident, was shot dead in Lamitan City in Basilan on Friday, police said.

In an interview on Dobol B TV, Police Lieutenant Colonel Tadzhabel Managola, chief of Lamitan City Police, identified the victim as Rolando Yumol, a retired policeman.

Managola said Yumol was declared dead on arrival at a hospital after sustaining four gunshot wounds on his back.

An initial investigation showed that the victim was shot at 6:55 a.m. by two men onboard a motorcycle using a .45 calibre pistol.

"Sa ngayon under investigation pa ang kaso. Ongoing pa, naghahanap kami ng impormasyon at kung sino makapagbibigay ng impormasyon sa amin (The case is still under investigation, we are still collecting information]," Managola said.

He added that they have yet to identify a person of interest in the shooting.

In a statement, the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) said the 69-year-old businessman was shot  outside his home in Barangay Maganda.

Three empty shells of caliber 45 were recovered from the scene, according to the police.

'Speculative'

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it was "speculative" to link the killing of Dr. Yumol's father to the July 24 shooting incident at the Ateneo campus in Quezon City.

"So far, it is speculative to assume its direct relation to the shooting incident that happened last Sunday at the Ateneo de Manila University," said PNP Public Information Office chief Police Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba.

PNP director for operations Police Major General Valeriano de Leon said all angles should be considered "to ensure that we will be running after the right people responsible for this attack."

"That is why we have to be very careful in the conduct of the investigation in this case," he said. 

Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman, for his part, condemned the killing of Rolando, calling it senseless.

"Nais ko sanang diinan: Kailanman at sa kahit anong dahilan, walang saysay ang pagkitil ang buhay. Anumang uri ng karahasan ay walang lugar sa ating lipunan kung nais nating umunlad at kumawala mula sa imahe ng kaguluhan sa ating lalawigan," Hataman said in statement.

(I want to stress this: Killing is always senseless under any circumstances. There is no place for violence in a society that aims for progress and peace.)

"It is our hope that this latest act of violence would not progress into a series of violent actions. Huwag nating hayaang maging normal ang pagkitil ng buhay sa ating kultura, lalo na kapag nadadamay ang mga inosenteng mamamayan," Hataman added.

(Killing should never be normalized in our culture, especially since these could harm innocent people.)

Basilan residents, Hataman said, have the responsibility to protect peace that they have long worked on.

"Huwag nating hayaan na ang pagkakamali ng iba ay maging sanhi upang mabaon tayong muli sa dusa dala ng pagkitil ng buhay ng mga inosenteng tao. Nagsisimula pa lamang tayong bumangon mula sa pandemya na nagpadapa sa ating ekonomiya at kabuhayan. Kailangan nating magsumikap na mapanatili ang kapayapaan para sa kapakanan ng ating lalawigan.

(Let us not allow the mistake of others to bury us in that cycle of violence. We are still recovering from the pandemic which severely affected our economy and livelihood. We need to ensure peace and order in our province.)

Hataman warned the public against passing judgment on people without concrete evidence.

"Let us not judge and fan the flame of emotions of the grieving families. Baseless speculations won't help and could trigger another violence," he said.

"We express our condolences to the family of Rolando Yumol and call on authorities to probe and hold the perpetrators accountable," he added.

Three people, including a former Lamitan City mayor, were killed in the July 24 shooting incident that marred a graduation ceremony inside the Ateneo campus.

Those killed were former Lamitan mayor Rose Furigay, her executive aide Victor Capistrano, and Ateneo security guard Jeneven Bandiala.

Furigay's daughter, Hannah, was wounded in the incident.

Yumol was arrested on the same day of the shooting. Police cite personal grudge as the motive behind the killing.

Interviewed by the media after his arrest, Yumol accused the Furigay family of being behind several attempts on his life and involvement in the illegal drug trade. The family's lawyer has denied this.  —with Joviland Rita and Llanesca Panti/KBK/AOL/RSJ/VBL, GMA News