A Penalty for Not Paying Dues?
Was execution the penalty for not paying dues? Does anyone know this project? Is anyone able to find out who the South Star Security Agency is and if they are a subsidiary of another company? Does anyone know someone in the area to find out what problems there are at the subdivision?
Honestly, I am not surprised given the number of complaints I now hear from all over Metro Manila.
Cops hunt killer of American diver
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/466991/cops-hunt-killer-of-american-diver
By Jaymee T.
Gamil
Philippine Daily Inquirer
4:04 pm | Friday, August 16th, 2013
MANILA, Philippines—Police are now hunting a
security guard at Hamilton Heights Subdivision in Las Piñas City who fled after
shooting dead an American diver who helped in the retrieval of the body of
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo who was killed in a plane
crash off Masbate in August last year.
Police identified Ericson Elacquio of the South Star Security Agency as the
primary suspect in the killing of Matthew Caldwell, 59, around 10:30 p.m. on
Thursday.
A spot report from Chief Inspector Eddie Galang of the Las Piñas police said
Elacquio shot Caldwell during an argument at the gates of the subdivision.
Caldwell and his live-in partner, Jeanelyn Flora, 36, were in their Toyota
Corolla on their way home when Elacquio barred them entry, arguing the couple
had not paid their monthly dues to homeowners association.
The couple got off the car to confront the security guard, with Caldwell
attempting to raise the wooden boom at the gate, prompting Elacquio to draw his
gun and shoot Caldwell pointblank in the face.
Elacquio escaped with another security guard on a commandeered red motorcycle
with plate number IA-4929.
The Philippine Coast Guard said Caldwell was one of the foreign technical
divers who helped in the search for and retrieval of Robredo’s body from the
wreck of his chartered plane.
Las Piñas police identified Caldwell as director of a company called
Allegro.
---
American diver in Robredo search shot dead
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 08/16/2013 5:39 PM | Updated as of 08/16/2013 5:39 PM
MANILA – An American technical diver who helped in the search and rescue operation for the late Interior and Local Government Sec. Jesse Robredo last year was shot dead in a Las Piñas City subdivision Thursday night, authorities said.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said the victim, Matt Caldwell, was shot by a security guard after a verbal altercation at the gate of the subdivision.
Balilo said the guards refused entry to Caldwell, which led to the argument. He was shot at around 10:30 p.m.
Balilo added that there is a split in the homeowners’ association of Hamilton Heights and it is possible that Caldwell and the guards on duty were at opposing sides.
Caldwell was a PCG auxiliary captain and was also part of the search and retrieval operation of 21 passengers trapped in the MV Catalyn B in 2010. -- Report from Noel Alamar, ABS-CBN News
---
Diver in Robredo crash shot dead
By Perseus Echeminada (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 17, 2013 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - An American diver who helped in the search and retrieval operations in the plane crash that killed interior secretary Jesse Robredo was shot in the face and killed by a security guard while opening the gate of a subdivision in Las Piñas City late Thursday night, police said yesterday.
Senior Superintendent Adolfo Samala, Las Piñas City police chief, identified the victim as Philippine Coast Guard auxiliary member Captain Matthew Caldwell, a US citizen residing at Hamilton Heights in Barangay Talon 5.
Caldwell helped in the search and retrieval operation of the plane carrying Robredo that crashed off Masbate sea last year.
He was supposedly celebrating his 59th birthday on the day he was killed, according to the PCG.
Initial police investigation showed that Caldwell and his live-in partner Jeanalyn Flora arrived in their car at the gate of the subdivision at about 10:30 Thursday night.
Security guard Ericson Mendoza Blacquio refused to open the gate because the plate number of the car was among those of residents listed as not paying dues to the homeowners’ association.
Moreover, the rule set by the homeowners is for delinquent dues payers to open the gate themselves without the assistance of the guard on duty, said Las Piñas Police Criminal Investigation Division Chief Giovanni Martinez.
But when the American was about to open the gate, the security guard confronted him and a heated argument ensued.
At the height of the argument, the security guard allegedly took his service 12-gauge shotgun and shot the victim in the face. The security guard and his unidentified companion then commandeered a passing motorcycle and fled.
“A special team was organized to track down the suspects,” Martinez said.
A review of the security logbook showed that last Aug. 13, Caldwell and Blacquio already had an argument over entry in the subdivision. The American allegedly berated and cursed the security guard.
The Las Piñas police are preparing a murder charge against the suspect and his cohort. They are also coordinating with the president of the homeowners association to determine if the victim was really not paying his association dues.
The PCG has condemned the killing and expressed its sympathy for Caldwell.
“Matt really loves the Philippines. He has been very helpful to the Coast Guard in the past years and willing to lend his pro bono services whenever we asked for his help,” PCG spokesman Commander Armando Balilo said.
Caldwell was a seasoned diver who had been living in the Philippines for more than 20 years. He had been a partner of the PCG in its search and rescue operations in the past years.
– With Evelyn Macairan
---
Hero US diver murdered in the Philippines 'after being blasted him in the face with a shotgun by security guard in row outside his home'
- Matthew Caldwell, 59, was shot by security guard near his home, near Manila
- Row broke out when guard claimed he owed homeowners' association dues
- Caldwell became local hero after he helped find body of Interior Secretary Jessie Robredo last year, who died in plane crash, sparking deep-sea hunt
By Richard Shears
PUBLISHED: 14:58 GMT, 16 August 2013 | UPDATED: 15:01 GMT, 16 August 2013
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2395654/Hero-US-diver-murdered-Phillippines-blasted-face-shotgun-security-guard-row-outside-home.html#ixzz2cIeXNIO6
---
American diver in Robredo retrieval ops killed
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/08/17/american-diver-in-robredo-retrieval-ops-killed/
By Ferdinand Fabella | Posted on Aug. 17, 2013 at 12:01am
An American diver who helped in the search and retrieval operations for the body of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was shot dead by a security guard in Las Piñas City on Thursday, three days before the first anniversary of Masbate plane crash.
Police said 59-year-old Matthew Caldwell died on the spot after being allegedly shot in the face by Ericson Elacquio, security guard of Hamilton Heights Subdivision in Barangay Talon V where the American had a house.
Caldwell was a technical diver of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, a civilian volunteer arm of the Coast Guard. He was able to locate and identify Robredo in the wreckage of the Piper Seneca plane that plunged 800 meters off the Masbate coast on Aug. 18, 2012.
Senior Supt. Adolfo Samala said the shooting took place at around 10:30 p.m. when Caldwell, companion Jeanalyn Flora, 36, and another female arrived at the subdivision gate aboard a Toyota Corolla car.
Caldwell got into an argument with Elacquio who refuse them entry over his unpaid monthly dues to the subdivision.
Investigation showed that Caldwell got off the car and started tearing down the gate’s boom. Flora said Elacquio took out his 12-gauge shotgun and shot the american in the face.
Elacquio and another security guard forcibly took the motorcycle of one Stanley Verano, who was passing by the gate, and escaped.
Samala said investigators from the United States embassy in Manila have arrived in the scene to gather more information about the incident.
PCG spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said Caldwell had just gone from a meeting with his fellow PCGA volunteers that evening.
He said Caldwell was assisting the Coast Guard in other rescue and retrieval operations, including the wreckage of M/V Catalyn B that sank off Cavite on Dec. 24, 2009, killing 25 people.
---
Guard in US diver’s slay not licensed
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/467851/guard-in-us-divers-slay-not-licensed
By Jaymee T. Gamil, Philippine Daily Inquirer - Saturday, August 17th, 2013
The subdivision security guard who
allegedly shot American diver Matthew Caldwell dead during a heated argument
Thursday night was not licensed for the job and his agency was never registered
with the Philippine National Police, the Inquirer learned Saturday.
Three days after Caldwell’s killing, the
police started circulating photos of Ericson Mendoza Blacquio (not Elacquio as
earlier reported), who worked for South Star Security Agency and a resident of
Sampaloc Site, BF Parañaque.
Blacquio escaped after shooting Caldwell,
a businessman and a technical diver who helped the Philippine Coast Guard find
the body of then Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo following a plane crash last
year. The American, who had lived in the country for 20 years, received an award
from President Aquino for his role in the search.
The guard was then manning the gates at
Hamilton Heights Subdivision in Barangay Talon V, Las Piñas City, when he barred
Caldwell and his live-in partner from entering, reportedly on orders from
management to restrict residents who had been remiss in paying monthly dues. The
guard shot the American in the face in an argument after the latter tried to
raise the wooden boom barrier.
Chief Insp. Vanni Martinez, head of the
Las Pinas police investigation unit, said Hamilton Heights issued a memo to the
guards in July saying residents who refused to pay a monthly P500 fee shall not
be extended certain services. The fees were collected to pay for security and
power supply for street lights, among others, the officer said.
The guards were given a list of the
vehicle plate numbers of delinquent payers. When they see these vehicles, the
guards were not supposed to lift the gate barrier and just let their owners do
it themselves, Martinez said.
However, the officer said, “when I last
talked to the homeowners association officials, they condemned what Blacquio
did. (The situation) didn’t have to go that far,” Martinez said.
“Some of them felt guilty because their
policy became the cause of the quarrel that killed Caldwell,” Martinez said in
Filipino.
Martinez also disclosed that Blacquio’s
agency, owned by Jordan Mijares, was not registered with the PNP’s Supervisory
Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (Sosia) and that the suspect did
not have a license to be a security guard.
“I checked the registration papers
submitted by the agency to the homeowner’s association and found that they were
dated May 2013 and yet the signature was that of former PNP chief Avelino Razon,
who is already retired,” he said.
***
Information for United States Citizens: The following statement appears at the bottom of email messages from the US Embassy in the Philippines. This will give you information for contacting the embassy in case you or your family are victims of corruption and crimes.
"The Embassy is located at 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines and is open 0730-1600, Monday through Friday. The Embassy's main telephone number is (632) 301-2000. American citizens needing to speak to the Embassy can dial this number and ask to be connected to the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit or with the Embassy Duty Officer (for calls outside of normal business hours). You can also contact the ACS unit through email at ACSInfoManila@state.gov or through the Embassy Facebook page. Please visit our website for information on all services offered by the ACS unit.
We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens travelling to or residing in the Philippines enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) program. Registering gives you access to updated information on travel and security within the Philippines and makes it easier for the Embassy to contact you in case of emergency. If you don't have Internet access, enroll directly at the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate.
Contact the U.S. Embassy for up-to-date information on travel restrictions. Current information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444 for callers from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). You can also stay up to date by "following" us on Twitter and "liking" the Bureau of Consular Affairs on Facebook. You can also download our free Smart Traveler App, available through iTunes and the Android market, to have travel information at your fingertips.
If the Embassy public phone number, (632) 301-2000, is not operational, U.S. citizens who require emergency assistance may contact the American Citizen Services unit through http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manila-Philippines/US-Embassy-ManilaPhilippines/157551009622 or through acsinfomanila@state.gov or by calling the United States at the following numbers: 1-202-501-4444 (if calling from outside the United States or Canada) or 1-888-407-4747 (if calling from within the United States or Canada). The Embassy is located at 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines"
