MANILA, Philippines?A son of a Malacañang official was shot dead, allegedly by a foreign national, while the victim was inside his car in Quezon City late Wednesday evening, a police official said Thursday.

Supt. Ferdinand Ampil, Quezon City Police Station 7-commander, identified the fatality as Renato Victor Ebarle, 27, son of Presidential Chief of Staff Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr., and works as a recruitment manager of Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

Ampil said initial investigation showed Ebarle was in a Toyota Land Cruiser at the corner of Santolan Road near corner Ortigas Avenue in Barangay Valencia, Quezon City, when he was shot by a Caucasian-looking man onboard a blue wagon-type vehicle with diplomatic plate no. 20903.

He said Ebarle, who sustained gunshot wounds in his chest and arms, was killed on the spot.

Chief Insp. Benjamin Elenzano, head of the QCPD homicide section, said that based on the records of the Highway Patrol Group, the suspect's vehicle was registered to a British national, Stephen Pollard, with address at No. 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City.

Elenzano said a check with the Department of Foreign Affairs Protocol Office showed that Pollard works for the Asian Development Bank and has immunity from suits.

"We have to request ADB to turn Pollard to us so we could ask him of his possible involvement in the killing of Ebarle,'' Elenzano said.

He said they will also request a photograph of Pollard for proper identification of the witnesses.

Ampil, citing witness account said, "the foreign national alighted from his vehicle and shot the victim at close range after an almost collision.''

But Ampil quickly added that an investigation to determine other possible motives of the killing was ongoing.

He said another witness described the assailant as between 25-30 years old, about 5'8" in height, bald headed, and had a tattoo on his right arm.

Elenzano said the victim had just left the house of his girlfriend Kristina Tabas at the Armed Forces of the Philippines officials' quarters in Camp Aguinaldo and was on his way home in New Manila, also in Quezon City, when he was shot.

"She (Tabas) became worried when the victim was not picking up his phone and decided to drive through the victim's possible route when she learned that her boyfriend had not arrived in their house,'' Ampil said

He said the girlfriend recognized her boyfriend's car and saw him slumped in the driver?s seat with gunshot wounds. Nancy C. Carvajal