Business rivalry eyed as motive in fatal QC shooting

Police have identified one of two suspects in last week’s fatal shooting of businessman Ceferino “Perry” Mariano after recovering fingerprints from an abandoned getaway motorcycle, officials said Tuesday.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said investigators linked a suspect to the crime using latent prints found on the vehicle used in the 28 April attack along Timog Avenue.

Nartatez, speaking on the sidelines of an event at Camp Crame, said the gunmen abandoned the motorcycle on Scout Rallos Street, changed their clothes and fled on foot.

Security footage later showed the men walking toward Ybardolaza and Scout Borromeo streets before hailing a tricycle and eventually boarding a jeepney on Quezon Avenue.

“Our investigators are hot on the tracks of the identity, particularly the mastermind,” Nartatez said. “We have a link to the gunman that hopefully will allow us to go to the bottom of this incident, unmasking the mastermind and the motive.”

Nartatez added that investigators are pursuing several theories, including a potential business rivalry or issues related to Mariano’s past business interests.

In a separate briefing, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño confirmed that four latent prints found on the motorcycle matched a person with a criminal record.

“Based on our profiling, they have previous cases and warrants of arrest,” Tuaño said. He declined to name the identified suspect, citing the ongoing manhunt.

Mariano and his companion, 51-year-old Norberto Orimaco, were traveling in a Suzuki S-Presso near EDSA when they were ambushed by the motorcycle-riding assailants exactly one week ago.