Who is chairman?

Before he was shot in the face Sunday morning, Benito Evangelista Jr., 42, called his attacker “chairman.”  The resident of Subic, Zambales, was on his way home after visiting his brother-in-law in Sampaloc, Manila, when he was killed by a still unidentified man in front of the Victory Liner bus terminal on Earnshaw Street in Bustillos at around 8:30 a.m.

A witness told the police that he saw a man tap the victim on the shoulder. The victim then called the man “chairman” before the latter shot him in the face. The testimony given by the witness, however, did not do anything to clear up the case, according to case investigator Senior Police Officer 2 Benito Cabatbat of the Manila Police District homicide section. “I talked to Evangelista’s brother-in-law who said the victim was a seaman, not a chairman. I asked if [Evangelista] was involved in politics, and he said no,” Cabatbat told the Inquirer in an

interview.

Evangelista’s family also claimed he had no known enemies. “It could be a case of mistaken identity but the case is still under investigation,” Cabatbat said. Evangelista had been in Manila since February, his family told the police.

Witnesses, meanwhile, described the gunman as being in his late 20s and with a slim build. He escaped on foot after the shooting.—Jaymee T. Gamil