Cops eye 3 angles in customs exec's slay

Police investigators are eyeing at least three possible motives behind the murder of a Bureau of Customs (BOC) official in Lapu-Lapu City Tuesday night. Sun-Star Cebu (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Thursday that victim Jason Alcantara, 27, may have been killed due to an office rivalry, a business transaction, or a love affair. The murder has also prompted city police to work with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Central Visayas. Alcantara, 27, was assistant chief of the Customs-PEZA Clearing Office (CPCO). He was driving home from a basketball game about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday when a yellow Aura motorcycle with no plate number moved close to his left along Sudtunggan Road in Basak village. The rider at the back shot Alcantara several times, 200 meters from his home in Phase 2 of Better Living subdivision. Homicide investigator PO3 William Homoc said a bullet pierced Alcantara's left armpit and exited his right side. Another hit his chin. Two other bullets lodged in the victim's left arm. Residents did not hear gunshots, leading police to believe the gunman used a silencer. Witnesses saw the suspects' motorcycle sped towards Sitio Suba Masulog, also in Basak village, a small road to the left leading to the highway in Marigondon village. Seeing the bloodied Alcantara on the steering wheel, with the car's engine still running, resident Dondie Paguna called the police at 8:50 p.m. Duty officer PO3 Joseph Damasco said Elmo Cacha and one named Arnold, reportedly a custom employee, rushed Alcantara to the Mactan Doctors' Hospital at 9:05 p.m. Alcantara died shortly before midnight. It was the second shooting incident, and Alcantara was the third customs official gunned down since 2003. On July 24, 2003, two gunmen sprayed bullets on deputy district collector Eduardo "Wewe" Lao and customs appraiser Bennett Soreño in an ambush near the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 on Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City. NBI Central Visayas director Medardo de Lemos sent agents to Lapu-Lapu for some "intelligence gathering" Wednesday morning. A few hours before the attack, Alcantara was the star player of the 2007 Collector's Basketball Cup at the Mandaue City Sports Complex. He was a member of the district collector's team against the wharfinger's team. Later, Alcantara, driving his Honda Civic, left for Basak, Lapu-Lapu City. He dropped off his teammate Christopher Sison and then proceeded to his residence at Better Living Subdivision. His colleagues at the BOC suspect that Alcantara was killed in relation to a big-time deal that went bad. - GMANews.TV