Ex-Marine assigned to Mindanao killed in Navotas City

A former member of the Philippine Marines who had served in Mindanao was killed while two other men, including a policeman, were wounded after they were shot by four men on two motorcycles in Navotas City.

Cpl. Philip Panelo, 39, died after he was shot at least 11 times in different parts of the body.

His friend and neighbor, PO2 Clemencio Santos of the Navotas City police, was hit in the groin after he came to Panelo’s aid. He said his service firearm was taken by the suspects.

Case investigator PO1 Filbert Madio said that at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Panelo was driving his motorcycle on Bisugo Street—just 100 meters away from his house on Block 10, Lot 2—in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas City, when he was shot.

Santos heard the gunfire and tried to help his friend by engaging the four suspects in a firefight. However, he was shot in the groin.

Another neighbor, Danilo Montances, 54, was hit in the buttocks by a stray bullet as he was dropping off a friend in the area, according to his wife, Esmeralda.

Panelo was rushed to Tondo Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival around 10 p.m.

17 slugs, different guns

The suspects immediately fled after the incident while the police said they have yet to establish a motive for the victim’s killing. Recovered from the scene were at least 17 slugs from unidentified firearms.

Michelle Maralit, Panelo’s live-in partner, said that at the time of the shooting, he was supposed to be attending to the customers at the eatery in front of their house.

She added that she was fast asleep and did not know why her partner left.

Jerome Solano, a resident in the area, told the Inquirer that he and Santos were having drinks in his house when Panelo arrived on his motorcycle and asked the policeman to accompany him somewhere.

Solano said the two men did not say where they were going or how long they would be gone. He later learned that Panelo had dropped Santos off at his house and circled around the neighborhood on his motorcycle before he was gunned down.

Maralit said Panelo left the Philippine Marines four years ago because he wanted to transfer to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

According to her, her partner was in the service for at least 10 years and was even assigned to conflict zones in Mindanao.

“I don’t know anyone who might have killed my husband. He was peace-loving. He was just waiting for the results of his medical exam so he could transfer to the PCG,” she said.