“PASTILLAS Girl” Angelica Yap calls on witnesses to her mother’s killing to tell the police what they know. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
FOLLOWING the death of Maria Theresa Hernandez—a barangay councilor and mother of “Pastillas Girl” Angelica Jane Yap—a relative asked the police Monday to investigate her former partners, saying one of them may be behind the killing.
“John,” who asked not to be identified for his own safety, told the Inquirer that the police should invite “Polo” and Alfamil Yap, the 43-year-old victim’s former boyfriends, for questioning. He said that the police should also investigate Alfamil Yap’s current partner, a certain Andrea.
According to John, Hernandez had a strained relationship with her exes. Andrea, on the other hand, sent the victim threatening messages after she found out that Hernandez used to go out with Alfamil Yap.
One of her former boyfriends even told the victim: “If you will not be mine, nobody else will have you,” John added.
Hernandez also received a death threat sent through text that she would die before Christmas, her mother Corazon said.
“She took it as a joke though,” Corazon added.
Hernandez, a councilor of Barangay 127 in Caloocan City, was shot in the head by a still unidentified man at an eatery on Tagaytay corner Cabatuan Streets in Barrio Jose, Caloocan City at 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
According to SPO3 Eduardo Tribiana, case investigator of the Caloocan police station investigation unit, Hernandez had just heard mass at a nearby church with her daughter Camille when the shooting occurred.
She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead at 12:41 a.m. Monday.
The footage taken by a closed circuit television camera showed the gunman driving away from the crime scene on a motorcycle. Witnesses described him as around 5’4” in height, of medium build and wearing a denim jacket and baseball cap.
“It’s hard to pinpoint any suspect without any evidence,” said Angelica Yap who learned of her mother’s death while she was taping a show for ABS-CBN.
She added that her family would ask for help from the National Bureau of Investigation as she called on witnesses to come forward.
A witness said that the gunman had gone to another eatery earlier, identifying himself as a policeman targeting a drug pusher. When he saw the victim, he remarked: “She’s pretty” before shooting her, the witness added. Taken from the crime scene were a slug and a casing from a 9-mm pistol.