Suspected hitman confesses role in plot to kill Antipolo mayor, father

Antipolo Mayor Jun Ynares III and former Rizal Governor Ito Ynares. Photo from https://rizalprovince.ph

MANILA, Philippines — They would have faded into the background as “ghost employees” in the city hall, and would have begun receiving a monthly salary.

According to one of the men reportedly hired to kill Antipolo Mayor Jun Ynares III and his father former Rizal Governor Ito Ynares, this was what the future held for him and other alleged hitmen had the “assassination plot” pushed through.

In his sworn statement recently submitted to the authorities to supplement a complaint filed by Dorina Laroco last week, Moises Provido named former Antipolo Mayor Nilo Leyble, Vice Mayor Puto Leyva, former Barangay (village) San Luis chairman Andrei Zapanta and former Barangay San Luis treasurer Alfred Garcia as having a hand in the plan to kill the Yñareses.

This was consistent with the information provided by Laroco, the wife of another alleged hitman Rolando, who was shot dead reportedly after he backed out from the plan.

The murder charges Laroco filed in connection with her husband’s death were against Leyble, Leyva, Zapanta, Garcia, and four others.

Leyble and Leyva have vehemently denied the charges and the allegations.

Zapanta and Garcia have yet to release statements.

Provido, who was arrested on August 12 in Makati on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and driving without a license, said that had the killing pushed through, he and the other “hitmen” would then be “on call,” and would be tapped only if another “project” needed to be executed.

In the affidavit he issued while in jail, Provido said his arrest took place right after he received from Garcia the weapons that were reportedly going to be used in the “project.”

He said he was given the weapons during a meeting in the assassination group’s “safehouse” near the Antipolo city hall.

According to Provido, Garcia had wanted the job done quickly because Rolando had already been given P300,000.

When asked why the younger Ynares was not killed during the elections, Garcia said it was because nobody thought that he would win in the recent polls, Provido said.

For the job, the group would receive information about the whereabouts of the younger Ynares from a person in the city hall, Provido said.

“Palaging mali ang impormasyon na ibinabato sa amin kagaya ng kung anong sasakyan ang gagamitin ni (Mayor Jun) Ynares kaya hindi natutuloy ang pagpatay, kumbaga nabubulilyaso (The information given to us was always wrong, such as the transportation supposed to be used by Mayor June Ynares, so the plot always failed,” he said.

He said after several failed attempts, the group again scheduled to kill the younger Ynares on August 10.

“Ngunit lumagpas ang nasabing petsa ay hindi pa rin namin naisakatuparan ang planong pagpatay sinoman sa mag-ama, hanggang sa mahuli na nga ako sa checkpoint at makulong sa Makati City Jail (But the target date passed and we still had not accomplished the plan to kill the father and his son and then I was arrested at a checkpoint and detained inside the Makati City jail),” he said.