Death came at breakfast for the head of an urban poor association in Malabon City on Wednesday morning.
Police said Ernesto Gulfo, who also owned a junk shop, was shot at point-blank range by a man who pretended to be inquiring about his rates.
Case investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Edsel dela Paz said Gulfo, 52, was eating breakfast in his house in Sitio 6, Barangay Catmon, when a man with a backpack arrived at 7:10 a.m. and asked how much he paid for brass scraps.
But before Gulfo could answer, the supposed customer drew a caliber .45 pistol from his bag and shot the victim three times in the chest.
The man, who wore a jacket and blue cap, casually walked away from the scene and was joined by another man who apparently served as a lookout, Dela Paz said, quoting eyewitness accounts.
Gulfo was pronounced dead on arrival at Manila Central University Hospital in Caloocan City.
The slain junk shop owner was also the president of Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Samahan sa Malabon, Dela Paz said. Kristine Felisse Mangunay