Chinese suspects in Makati shooting not PLA members —police

Though IDs were recovered from them, the two Chinese shooting suspects arrested in Makati City last week were not members of China's armed forces or its People's Liberation Army (PLA), police said Monday.

"Hindi rin member ng People's Liberation Army or Chinese military ang mga suspects," Makati City Police chief Police Colonel Rogelio Simon told GMA News Online.

"Nakuhanan lang sila ng mga personal belongings na may mga ID ng sinasabing identification cards ng PLA o Chinese army pero hindi sila ang mga sinasabing nasa ID."

"Iba ang mga pangalan at iba rin ang mga mukha," Simon added.

The two were suspects in a shooting incident inside a Makati City restaurant last week where a Chinese national was killed and another one was wounded.

Police investigators are eyeing robbery as the main motive in the killing because money worth more than P300,000 were seized from the suspects.

Simon said the Makati City police will discuss the matter with the Chinese police attaché as part of the ongoing investigation.

He also said murder and frustrated murder charges were already filed against the two arrested suspects. A third suspect was still at large as of Monday.

Investigators, meanwhile, would try to determine if the incident was connected to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) issue.  —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News