Getaway van of gunmen in Inquirer’s home strafing traced to Cainta resident

MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Wednesday traced the getaway vehicle of the three unidentified men who opened fire at the house of Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and U.P. professor Randy David to a resident in Cainta, Rizal.

According to a report from Radyo Inquirer 990AM, LTO officers identified the owner of the vehicle – a Nissan Aveda 1995 model with license plate UDM-191 and not a white Toyota Tamara FX as earlier reported – as Enrique Punzalan of Brookside Hills Subdivision in Cainta.

It was not known if the vehicle has been stolen from the owner by the assailants who attacked David’s house Tuesday night.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said the police would provide round-the-clock protection for David upon request the request of the professor.

David’s   house in Barangay UP Campus, Diliman Quezon City, was strafed around 8:00 in the evening by three gunmen.

No one was hurt in the shooting, but  David’s Toyota Innova’s right fender  was pockmarked with  bullets.

Spent shells of caliber .45 and 9mm were recovered from the crime that might provide clues to the identity of the assailants.

The attack on David’s house mocks recent government claim that crime fell by more than 15 percent in the first three months compared with the same period last year in spite of the recent slew of high-profile urban crimes.

For the first quarter, the national crime volume declined by 11,219 cases, a drop of 16.77 percent from a year ago, the official said in a statement.

“There had been several high-profile crimes that transpired in many urban centers of the country, particularly in Metro Manila but the police are always working on the resolution of said cases,” Robredo said.

“The sad part is that the resolution of said incidents do not merit the same prominence in the media compared to when they were first aired or published,” he added.

Citing reports submitted to him by the Philippine National Police Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), Robredo said 34,043 index crimes were recorded from January to March, a 19.86-percent drop compared with the same period in the 2011.

Non-index crimes, on the other hand, numbered 21,637 in the first quarter of the year, or 11.40 percent lower, compared with the 24,420 recorded in January to March 2011, Robredo said.

Index crimes refer to offenses against persons and property, such as murder, homicide, rape, robbery and arson, while non-index crimes are relatively minor offenses, including violations of special laws, such as illegal logging, and ordinances.

“The comparative crime trend between the first quarters of 2011 and 2012 indicates that there is a significant drop in the commission of crimes in the first three months of this year. That is a total crime volume of 66,899 in 2011 and a total of 55,680 in 2012, or a decrease of 16.77 percent,” he said.

“If this trend does not change, we can safely assume that peace and order situation will improve for the rest of the year,” Robredo said.

Robredo said the effectiveness of the PNP in solving crimes also improved in the first quarter.