Binay urges Makati police to find killers of DSWD worker

MANILA, Philippines—Find the killers of Makati City social welfare officer Mila Dumaguit “the soonest and bring them to justice.”

The call was made Monday by Vice President Jejomar Binay as he urged the Makati police to go after the perpetrators of the crime.

Binay, former Makati mayor, described Dumaguit as an “exemplary social worker” and a “big loss to the government of Makati and to public service.”

He said he had “worked closely with (Dumaguit) when I was mayor of Makati.”

According to Binay, Dumaguit was a “very efficient worker and people appreciated her work. Definitely, there are those who resent this.”

He said it was “apparent that the killing was work-related since (Dumaguit) was very active in providing assistance to poor Makati residents.”

Dumaguit, 52, was laid to rest Sunday at the Heritage Park in Taguig City.

Joey Salgado, Binay’s media officer, told the INQUIRER they were “waiting for an update on the case” from the Makati police.

Earlier, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. directed the city’s police force to “look at all angles” in their investigation.

The Makati police had formed Task Force Dumaguit and released a computer-generated image of the social worker’s assailant.

Last Wednesday, Dumaguit had just boarded an L-300 van on her way to the Makati City Hall when an unidentified man approached the vehicle and opened fire.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Her driver, Jun del Pilar, remains in critical condition.

Makati police investigators have obtained closed-circuit television footage of the shooting incident to help them track down the gunman and his possible accomplices, according to the Office of the Vice President.