GUN VIOLENCE | Before attack in Ateneo, gunman was in hiding over arrest warrants, says victim’s lawyer

July 25, 2022 , 09:58 AM

By Beatrice Puente

(July 25, 2022) – Before the gun attack, the man who opened fire ahead of the graduation ceremony of the Ateneo Law School had been in hiding because of the arrest warrants on his other pending cases, the lawyer of a victim’s family said on Sunday.

Atty. Quirino Esguerra Jr., the legal counsel of slain former Lamitan Mayor Rose Furigay, said the gunman, identified as Chao Tiao Yumol, has been trying to evade two arrest warrants since January 2021.

“Si Dr. Chao Tiao Yumol ay nagtatago kasi may warrant of arrest siya na dalawa. Unang-una, doon sa cyber libel cases, may kaso siya. Pangalawa, mayroon siyang indirect contempt,” said Esguerra in a phone interview.

Brig. Gen. Remus Medina, the director of the Quezon City Police District, confirmed that Furigay’s camp filed 76 counts of cyberlibel against Yumol. While he was detained before, he was reportedly able to post bail as the hearing for the case remains ongoing.

Medina further described Yumol as a “determined assassin” who had no permanent address before the attack that killed three individuals. Aside from Furigay, her long-time aide Victor George Capistrano and Ateneo security guard Jeneven Bandiala were also killed by Yumol.

“Wala siyang address. Tinatanong namin kung saan siya nakatira, saan siya nagtatago, palipat-lipat siya, natutulog siya sa kalsada, sa sasakyan,” said Medina in a media briefing.

Furigay was supposed to attend the graduation of her daughter, Hannah Furigay, who got injured in the attack. She is already in stable condition at the hospital, according to Esguerra.

Yumol, in other media reports, accused Furigay of corruption and links to the drug trade in Lamitan in Basilan in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Esguerra denied these claims.

“Kami ay nalulungkot na bakit binibigyan siya ng pagkakataon magpa-interview nang ganyan. Puro kasinungalingan. Walang kasong isinampa kay Mayor Roderick Furigay at kay Mayora Rose Furigay about drugs. Hindi totoo. Walang katotohanan ‘yan,” said Esguerra.

“MALAKING KASINUNGALINGAN”

Pinasinungalingan ni Atty. Quirino Esguerra Jr., abogado ng pamilya Furigay, ang pang-aakusa ng gun man na si Chao Tiao Yumol na sangkot umano sa droga ang pinaslang niyang si dating Lamitan, Basilan Mayor Rose Furigay. pic.twitter.com/qlZUQ4j0Ch

— News5 (@News5PH) July 25, 2022

He acknowledged that Yumol, who reportedly carried two weapons, was familiar to them but they did not expect he would go this far. He said the assailant held a grudge because Furigay implemented the closure order from BARMM against the infirmary clinic he operated without a permit.

“Wala silang (Furigay) security escorts pagdating sa Maynila kasi wala naman silang mga kalaban. Hindi nila mawari na magagawa niya (Yumol) ‘yan,” said Esguerra.

BARMM chief minister Ahod Ebrahim lamented the killing of Furigay who he described as someone who “will be remembered for leading Lamitan City to a more promising future.” She served for three consecutive terms before being replaced by her husband, Roderick Furigay, this year.

“We will be closely working with the proper authorities to assure that justice is served. This act of violence has no space in our country and in our region,” said Ebrahim.

(PM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.