The police investigation into the attempt on the life of Bayawan City Councilor Victoriano Alabastro has stalled after several suspects had been ruled out.
Sr. Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, police provincial director of Negros Oriental, said they had initially eyed the participation of ex-military servicemen in the attempted assassination of Alabastro last Dec. 31, but Alabastro did not want to give any more statement to the police.
“I was told by our chief of police in Bayawan City that Alabastro doesn’t want to talk about the incident, and he did not want to add to his first statement, which is very vague,” Lawas said.
In the absence of Alabastro’s assistance, the investigation cannot proceed because the process starts with him as the complainant.
Alabastro was at a car wash in Bayawan City in the afternoon of New Year’s Eve when a gunman approached him and tried to fire at him at close range. However, the pistol jammed and the suspect fled on foot, along with another suspect who left their getaway motorycle behind. The motorcycle’s registry was traced to a woman living in Bacolod City.
Alabastro, for his part, said the police actually have several leads to work on. “The police blotter has my statement as to what happened that day. The police can also interview the witnesses and they also recovered the motorcycle.”
He said he does not want to say who his suspects are in the absence of proof.