By Edwin Fernandez
COTABATO CITY – Police authorities in Gen. Santos City arrested on Tuesday a man who allegedly killed a businessman in Barangay Labangal of the city last year.
Brig. Gen. Alan Manibog, director of Police Regional Office – Soccsksargen, identified the arrested wanted person as alias Pito, 34, a resident of Barangay Labangal.
“Pito was arrested based on an arrest warrant issued by a local court in connection with the murder of alias Ren, a businessman and salon owner,” he said in a report Wednesday.
Manibog said the joint police operatives were armed with an arrest warrant issued on April 8, 2025, by the Regional Trial Court in General Santos City.
The court recommended no bail for the offense.
Pito was tagged as the gunman who shot the victim inside his salon at RD Plaza Mall along Daproza Avenue, Barangay Dadiangas West, General Santos City, on Jan. 15, 2025.
“The killing was captured by the closed-circuit television security camera. The victim was rushed to a medical facility but succumbed to gunshot wounds to the chest and leg,” Manibog said.
Initial investigation reportedly pointed to a personal grudge as the possible motive, stemming from prior disagreements over salon transactions, a crude oil business, and investments.
Earlier, police apprehended another individual, identified only as alias Jack, who was allegedly the lookout in the incident and reportedly helped investigators identify the gunman.
Manibog lauded the operating units and emphasized the importance of sustained manhunt operations and inter-unit coordination in bringing wanted persons before the courts.
“We will continue to hunt wanted persons to ensure our communities are safe from lawless elements,” he said. (PNA)
