TANAUAN CITY, Batangas — Members of the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Halili and scene of the crime operation (SOCO) on Thursday re-enacted the incident when a marksman shot and killed Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili during the flag-raising ceremony last Monday at the city hall grounds.
As early as 6 a.m., police investigators cordoned off the crime scene in front of the city hall for the re-enactment to validate the line of sight, vantage point of the assassin and Halili’s exact position during the shooting
In front of the city hall, probers propped up a headless mannequin representing Halili flanked on each side by several people.
An investigator signaled the start of the reenactment and by 8:10 a.m., a single shot rang out to stage the killing to determine the line of sight, using surveying tools, and the trajectory of the fatal bullet from the gunman’s vantage point and the target.
Batangas Police Provincial Director Senior Supt. Edwin Quilates told media that the spent shell they recovered from the alleged “shooter’s nest,” which was approximately 76.8 meters from target, is only part of their ongoing investigation.
“Marami pang dapat gawin, (a lot more has to be done) and the slug is a possibility to identify the type of firearm used. Everything is a possibility, at tuluy-tuloy pa ang search kung mayroon pang foreign objects na makukuha pa dyan (and the search continues if there are other foreign objects which could be retrieved there),” Quilates said.
During the subsequent press conference at the Tanauan City Hall, Calabarzon Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Edward Carranza said “an ordinary marksman is a person who is knowledgeable and in the use of his long firearm can execute such act.”
As to other possible vantage points used by the assassin, Carranza said “I think that is the best vantage position considering the execution of the gunman from the position of city hall.”
Based on the distortion of the natural growth of grass at the “shooter’s nest,” he said the gunman was probably assisted by another person.
City hall officials and employees, who mourned the passing of their city mayor, also recalled that Halili led the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the inauguration of the new City Hall in July 23, 2017, in time for the 153rd Birth Anniversary of Tanauan-born revolutionary leader, statesman and “brain of the revolution” Gat. Apolinario Mabini.
“Dati yang damuhan na yan, diyan yung mga heavy equipment, construction materials para sa bagong city hall na ginagawa noon. Eh masukal na ngayon, at nalaman na diyan pala nagtago yung killer (The area used to be a grassy lot where heavy equipment, construction materials for the new city hall were placed. We only learned now that killer hid there),” one of the villagers said.
The PHP400-million project for the new Tanauan City Hall sits on a three-hectare property atop the Laurel Hill in Barangay Natatas, which was donated by the Laurel siblings, according to the Tanauan City public information office. (Saul Pa-a/PNA)
