MANILA, Philippines--The son of a Malacañang official was shot dead inside his sport utility vehicle by a foreign-looking man on Santolan Road, near the corner of Ortigas Avenue, in Barangay Valencia, Quezon City, on Wednesday night.
Supt. Ferdinand Ampil, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 7 commander, identified the victim as Renato Victor Ebarle Jr., 27, whose father is Presidential Chief of Staff Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr.
The younger Ebarle worked at the Peninsula Manila as a recruitment manager.
Ampil said Ebarle Jr. suffered gunshot wounds in the chest and arms and died on the spot.
His attacker was described by a witness as Caucasian, between 25 and 30 years old, about 5? 8? in height, bald and with a tattoo on his right arm. He drove a blue wagon-type SUV with the diplomatic license plate 20903.
Chief Insp. Benjamin Elenzano, QCPD homicide section head, said that based on the records of the Philippine National Police?s Highway Patrol Group, the vehicle was owned by a Briton, Stephen Pollard, who lives at 6 ADB Ave. in Mandaluyong City.
A check with the protocol office at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) showed that Pollard is a principal economist at the Asian Development Bank and has immunity from suits, Elenzano said.
He added, however, that based on the description of witnesses, the man who shot Ebarle Jr. was in his late 20s to early 30s while Pollard, according to DFA records, is in his late 50s.
?We have to request ADB to turn Pollard [over] to us so we could ask him about his possible involvement of the killing of Ebarle,? Elenzano said.
Elenzano said the victim, who was driving a blue Toyota Land Cruiser (plate number 12*OPCS) had just come from his girlfriend?s house in Camp Aguinaldo when witnesses saw him figure in a near-collision with another SUV being driven by a foreigner.
A policeman, SPO2 Edgar Tiodin, told the police he saw the foreigner block the victim?s path with his vehicle. The foreigner then alighted from his SUV and shot Ebarle Jr. at close range several times before escaping.
