General’s son ‘not sorry’ for killing woman in White Plains, QC

A woman died while two other passengers in this van were wounded after it was strafed on Tuesday night, September 1, 2015.
LYN RILLON / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

A former general’s son has shown no remorse in the killing of a woman and the wounding of two other persons during a shooting incident in Quezon City Tuesday night, police said Thursday.

“Hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi ko siya nakikitaan ng pagsisisi,” (I have not seen any remorse in him) said Chief Inspector Rodel Marcelo, chief of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU).

Marcelo was referring to Jose Maria Abaya, 50, who reportedly killed assistant bank manager Joyce Santos, 41, when he shot up a passenger van along Katipunan Avenue Extension, Barangay White Plains, at about 7 p.m., September 1.

BACKSTORY: Woman killed, 2 hurt in White Plains shooting | 1 dead, 2 hurt as man fires upon van in QC

“Ini-insist niya na sinusundan siya ng mga armadong tao. At kaya niya binaril [ang van] ay para sa kaligtasan niya,” (He still insists that he was being followed by armed men. And he shot the van to protect himself) the CIDU head said over radio program Kabayan on dzMM.

According to Abaya, son of former Philippine Constabulary general Antonio Abaya, the people in the van “were armed with long firearms and were following him.”

Investigation showed that the van driven by Ronebert Ycot overheated on the way from SM Megamall to San Mateo, Rizal, so it stopped in front of a store along Katipunan Avenue Extension, where Abaya was having a snack.

When Abaya left on his motorcycle, the van also drove off after a short maintenance check.

Abaya thought the van was following him to take him back to a rehabilitation center, where police said he was confined for “depression” and “possibly drugs.”

Claiming to fear for his life, Abaya reportedly pulled out a Glock caliber-40 pistol, overtook the van, stopped in front of it and opened fire repeatedly, hitting Santos in the head and Ycot in the body. Another passenger, Duke Angelo David II, was also hit in the left arm.

Santos died in the hospital while Ycot was reportedly still in critical condition.

Abaya later presented himself to the police and was placed under arrest.

Marcelo said they charged Abaya with murder, two counts of frustrated murder before Quezon City prosecutor Reynaldo Garcia on Wednesday night. The prosecutor upheld the charges, Marcelo added.

Murder is a non-bailable offense.

Abaya is being held at the CIDU detention center in Camp Karingal. CB