Two hand grenades, a .45-caliber pistol and a 9 mm pistol were seized from two men taken into custody in Mabalacat, Pampanga, over the killing of vlogger and political commentator Alicia “Mima Alicia” Lipata, the Philippine National Police said.
The arrests were made Thursday, PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co said during a briefing at Camp Crame. Both men will face murder charges alongside violations of Republic Act 10591, the Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and RA 9516, which covers illegal possession of explosives.
Investigators identified the alleged shooter only by the alias “M.S.,” a 58-year-old Caloocan City resident with a record of prior cases that Co declined to detail. The second suspect, who allegedly drove the motorcycle used in the attack, was named by the alias “J.A.” and comes from Cavite province.
Co indicated the two did not act alone. He pointed to the timing of their movements as evidence that others had been tracking Lipata.
“Around 15 or 20 minutes before Lipata arrived at her home, these two suspects entered. It points to the fact that other people were looking or surveilling the victim’s movements,” Co said.
Whether the killing stemmed from Lipata’s political commentary or from matters in her personal life remains unsettled, according to Co, who said that line of inquiry is still open.
“We have received information that we cannot disclose yet as of now so as not to compromise our ongoing operations… But all I could say is based on that information, there are some other people involved,” he said.
Lipata was gunned down by riders on a motorcycle outside her home in Barangay 171, Caloocan City. Her partner sustained critical wounds in the same attack.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has said police are examining a possible link between the suspects and a criminal syndicate operating in the south.
