Man killed by gunman dressed as food delivery rider

A 58-year-old man was killed by a gunman dressed as a food delivery rider while he was traversing a road in Imus, Cavite over the weekend.

The victim was identified as Romeo Ilano Delos Santos, who was gunned down while he was on his electric bike along Malagasang Road just minutes after leaving his home on Saturday morning. He was shot in the chest.

According to his son, who remained unnamed in the report, the victim left the house around 7 a.m.. They were notified of the incident by a relative who lived nearby at around 7:15 a.m.

“Ngayon talagang sobrang clueless kami, kasi wala siyang naikwekwento. Since may edad siya, 58, hindi na rin naman siya palalabas ng bahay,” the son said.

“Kinuha niya sa akin si papa ng ganon ganon na lang, ng hindi namin naipagtanggol, hindi namin nakita, hindi namin nalaman. Kung alam lang namin na may kaaway siya, siguro pinag-ayos namin,” he added.

[We are totally clueless, as he did not share anything about any conflict. Since he is already quite old, 58, he does not go out often.

They took my father from me so easily that we were not able to defend him, we were not able to see him, we did not know. If only we knew that he had enemies then maybe we could have mediated.]

For its part, the local police force is looking at the possibility that the gunman may have only pretended to be a food delivery rider given the prevailing quarantine restrictions.

“Alam naman natin, parang naging pribilehiyo sa mga food services or courier services na maging essential ‘di ba, kasi considered as APOR din ‘yon eh, naging essential,” Imus Policy Duty Investigator Police Senior Sergeant Roy Vincent Reyes said in the same report.

[We know that food services and courier services were given the privilege to be essential and considered as APOR.]

He was referring to authorized persons outside of residence, the individuals allowed to leave their homes as stricter quarantines were reimposed amid a surge in COVID-19 cases given the spread of the Delta variant. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News