SUV of slain MPD retiree found

The sport utility vehicle (SUV) of a retired Manila police official, which his former driver allegedly used to escape after killing him, was reportedly found abandoned in Vigan, Ilocos Sur province.

Senior Insp. Rommel Anicete, chief of Manila Police District’s (MPD) homicide division, said his office received a call Tuesday night about the discovery of the Ford EcoSport (not Ford Escape, as earlier reported) taken from the home of the slain Cipriano Herrera, 77.

The SUV already had some missing parts when found, Anicete added.

The manhunt continues for Allan Liwanag, 40, the personal driver who was recently fired by the Herrera family and now suspected of killing his former boss.

The victim last served under the MPD before retiring with the rank of superintendent. He held various positions, including station commander and head of the antinarcotics and detective bureaus, according to Chief Insp. Arsenio Riparip, head of the MPD general assignments section.

Herrera was attacked while having an early breakfast around 3:55 a.m. on Dec. 27 at his Sta. Cruz, Manila, residence. Stabbed in the neck and body, he was pronounced dead an hour later at Metropolitan Medical Center.

The killer fled using the victim’s Ford EcoSport (ACA- 1295). Anicete said a witness had identified Liwanag as the killer after seeing a security camera video.

In an earlier interview, Anicete suspected that the case may have been a burglary gone awry. “It’s possible that the driver was there to steal some old clothes or valuables, but his former boss caught him.”