Police tag brother in businessman Sytin's murder

Businessman Dominic Sytin has been ordered killed by his own brother, the Philippine National Police said Monday.

According to a report by GMA News' Jun Veneracion aired over “24 Oras” Monday,  Dennis Sytin was identified as the mastermind by the lone gunman Edgardo Luib, who was arrested last March 5.

In a separate statement, Dennis denied conspiring to kill his brother, arguing that he was being used to mask the identity of the real killers.

Sytin was shot dead last November 2018 in front of a hotel inside the Subic Freeport Zone in Olongapo City. His security aide was wounded in the incident.

“Apparently, they were quarreling over shares, control of shares in the operations of United Auctioneers,” Chief Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel of PNP-Region 3 said in a press conference.

“Nagkaroon sila ng matinding away. And actually, off limits siya sa United Auctioneers, in-off limits siya roon ni Dominic," Director Amador Corpus, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group, added.

The police, citing Luib's accounts, said the gunman initially reached out to a certain Ryan Rementilla who has close ties with Dennis.

Rementilla has been identified as a former employee of United Auctioneers, Inc. who is also close to Dominic but was eventually fired due to alleged mismanagement of company funds.

The police said that gunman Luib, Rementilla, and Dennis hatched their kill plan on September 2018, and that Luib was promised P1 million as payment for the hit job which was reduced to P50,000.

The PNP will be filing murder and frustrated murder charges against the three.