By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – The fatal shooting of vlogger Alicia Lipata, popularly known as Mima Alicia, in Caloocan City is already solved with the filing of murder charges against six individuals, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police have identified all six individuals involved in the July 17 slay.
“We were able to unmask and/or name six culprits, personalities, fully accounted for, from mastermind going to the gunman, and out of these six, five were named, and the three were arrested or in custody, and we were able to establish the motive,” he said at a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Nartatez said probers have established the motive for the crime and filed the case before the Caloocan Prosecutor’s Office.
The PNP also linked the suspects to at least 10 other criminal cases uncovered during the investigation.
Three more suspects remain at large — the supposed middleman identified only by the initials “C.B.” and two alleged masterminds, a certain “Boss A” and a Jane Doe.
“We have a lead of their whereabouts, but … perhaps, it came out in the media and they were informed that their cohorts were arrested already, so they hid,” Nartatez said.
He previously told reporters that the two masterminds were a business couple.
Investigators also recovered the weapon used in Lipata’s killing.
Nartatez said the firearm has also been used in 10 other shooting and robbery incidents in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Quezon City and Malabon since 2016.
Northern Police District chief Brig. Gen. Benliner Capili said the arrested middleman directly coordinated with the masterminds for Lipata’s execution.
He said the suspects were initially paid PHP250,000.
Capili said the gunman served as a security personnel of a deceased high-value drug personality in Iloilo.
Lipata was gunned down in front of her house in Caloocan.
Meanwhile, Nartatez suggested a ban on “violent” movies and television shows as part of a bid to curb crime among the youth.
His recommendation came after a 14-year-old student stabbed dead his 13-year-old classmate inside the Las Piñas National High School on Friday, reportedly due to a dispute over PHP10.
“Schools are the only places with problems. Where do the children come from and what are the environments they are in? We can be influenced by our environments with our family, our community and social media,” Nartatez said in the same press briefing.
“Maybe we can recommend banning movies and TV shows with a lot of violence. We can make a similar recommendation for social media apps and other solutions. It is not only limited to that.”
Public interest in school safety measures grew following the school shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte in June. Two minors killed three students and injured 20 more. (PNA)
