PNP chief confident Perry Mariano slay suspects will be caught soon

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Wednesday said he was confident that the suspects in the killings of billiards patron Ceferino “Perry” Mariano, 75, and his driver would be caught soon.

“We are intensifying our nationwide manhunt for all suspects, including the identified individual and the possible mastermind behind this killing,” Nartatez said in a statement.

“We are confident that with the strength of the evidence and the ongoing coordinated manhunt operations, the suspects will be accounted for soon,” he stressed.

READ: PNP: 1 of 2 suspects in Perry Mariano slay identified

Mariano and his driver, Norberto Orimaco, 51, were traveling along Timog Avenue aboard a Suzuki S-Presso on the afternoon of April 28 when they were attacked by two suspects riding a motorcycle.

One of the two suspects has since been identified by police investigators as an individual “with previous cases and warrants of arrest… operating outside Metro Manila,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño previously bared.

He declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

Nartatez said all PNP regional and field units have been ordered to intensify their intelligence operations, particularly to identify the suspects’ movement patterns, to surveil the suspects’ known associates, and to monitor the areas where the suspects were believed to have fled.

A video shared by the Quezon City Police District showed the suspects fleeing toward Epifanio de los Santos Avenue after the shooting.

They had allegedly abandoned their motorcycle along Scout Rallos Street.

The suspects were later seen walking along Ybardolaza Street, turning into Scout Borromeo Street, and hailing a tricycle to Quezon Avenue, where they boarded a passenger jeepney.

Police recovered the abandoned motorcycle on the night of April 28 and obtained at least four latent prints.

Tuaño previously said police investigators have yet to identify whether the latent prints belonged to the gunman or the motorcycle driver.

However, the PNP chief said the latent prints led to the identification of the motorcycle driver.

“The fingerprint evidence has undergone strict forensic validation, and we are steadily building a strong case to ensure accountability,” Nartatez explained. /das /atm