Business deals of Edsa ambush victim eyed

Business dealings were being eyed by the police as a potential motive behind Sunday’s brazen ambush on Edsa, in which motorcycle riders fired at a white Toyota Hiace, killing two men, one of them businessman Jose Luis Yulo.

Director Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, told the Inquirer on Monday that the 62-year-old Yulo was engaged in a sprawling, motley group of businesses that included the sale of firearms, restoration of vintage automobiles and real estate.

The victim was also engaged in the family-owned Yulo Corp.

He was a major distributor for gun accessories from abroad while he also sold, bought and restored automobiles.

Unlikely angle

“The chance that this is politically motivated is remote,” Eleazar said.

He added, however, that investigators were also looking at personal reasons as a possible motive. At the same time, they were verifying reports that Yulo had been charged in the past with several cases of estafa.

Hoping to speed up the probe, the Eastern Police District (EPD) said on Monday that Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Yulo had been created. Apart from investigators and crime lab operatives, the team also included Criminal Investigation and Detection Group members.

Sunday’s shooting likewise resulted in the death of Allan Nomer Santos, 55, a flight operation staffer and the van driver. Esmeralda Ignacio, a 38-year-old stockbroker, was the lone survivor in the ambush that happened at 3:23 p.m. near the corner of Reliance Street in Mandaluyong City.

Ignacio was still recovering in the hospital and Eleazar said she had yet to provide a clear statement to authorities.

According to the EPD, SITG Yulo operatives were examining 12 bullet casings and fingerprints found at the crime scene.

SITG members, on the other hand, were collecting footage taken by closed-circuit television cameras at the crime scene and other areas on Edsa, in a bid to pinpoint the suspects’ identities, escape route and the black motorcycle they used.

Description of suspects

The driver of the motorcycle was wearing a black jacket and blue helmet. His back rider, on the other hand, wore a black jacket and a black helmet.

Trying to calm a public that had been jolted by the shooting which occurred on the busiest thoroughfare in Metro Manila, Eleazar said crimes perpetuated by motorcycle-riding suspects actually fell by 53 percent in 2018 compared to 2017.