Pasay police identify suspect in killing of model Grab driver

MANILA, Philippines – One of the suspects in the killing of the “good samaritan” Grab driver  Gerardo Amolato Maquidato Jr is also wanted for a previous murder case.

Pasay City Police on Monday, November 6, identified the suspect, who was among those who posed as regular Grab passengers of Maquidato, as Narc Tulod Delemios of Block 23 Lot 2, Don Carlos Revilla Street, Narra Extension, Barangay 148, Pasay City.

Tulod and his still-unidentified companions booked a ride with Maquidato on the night of October 26 before shooting and killing him. A witness said he heard gunshots around 7:50 pm and saw the lifeless body of the Grab driver pushed out of his silver Toyota Innova along Bonanza Street in Pasay City.

The suspects then took off with Maquidato’s car.

Delemios was identified by his live-in partner, who admitted to police that it was her cellphone that was used to book the Grab trip.

Meanwhile another witness said Delemios was also a suspect in the killing of 19-year-old Gino Balbuena in 2014.

A sworn statement by the witness, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, said Delemios shot and killed Balbuena while they were playing cara y cruz in the early morning of October 10, 2014, at the corner of Bagong Sikat Street and Dimasalang Extension in Baclaran.

Delemios, the witness said in the statement, was with a certain Jeric Lim, who served as “back-up” in the incident. 

Balbuena’s sister said a possible motive for the killing of Gino was a petty quarrel in a basketball game. 

Maquidato was one of Grab Philippines’ driver awardees, recognized for giving a courtesy ride to a sick passenger.

A Facebook post, which went viral in August 2016, commended Maquidato for picking up a diabetes patient on her way to collect bags of blood for her dialysis. Maquidato did not charge his passenger for fare out of kindness. (Read the Facebook post here.) 

Because of the killing of Maquidato, Grab Philippines has implemented a “No ID, No Entry” policy, allowing their driver-partners to ask passengers for personal identification cards before letting them onto their cars.  

“Before starting the trip, our driver-partners may ask you to show a personal identification card (ID) to verify your identity, especially during nightshift hours. We assure you that all information shown to our driver-partners will be kept confidential and will only be used for verification purposes,” read the letter sent out to Grab riders. – Rappler.com