MANILA, Philippines – He would rather kill than be killed.

According to a sworn statement by a confessed gun-for-hire, businessman Domingo “Sandy” de Guzman wanted race car driver Enzo Pastor killed for one reason: he allegedly wanted to get to Pastor before Pastor could get to him.

“May pinagbantaan po kasi si Enzo Pastor na papataying tao kaya inunahan na siya nung tao (Enzo Pastor threatened to kill someone so that person got to him first),” said Alvin Nidua, alluding to De Guzman.

Nidua, the gunman De Guzman allegedly tried to hire first before he eventually tapped Police Office 2 Edgar Angel, signed the affidavit on August 27 while detained at the Camp Crame Hospital.

 He is currently detained for other criminal activities. (READ: Enzo Pastor slay suspect ‘shopped’ for gunman)

Pastor wanted De Guzman killed, said Nidua, after he found out about De Guzman’s affair with his wife, Dalia.

It was Angel who first revealed De Guzman and Dalia’s alleged involvement in the crime. He has since recanted his statement, arguing that he was only forced by police to admit to the crime.

But Pastor’s parents also presented affidavits from witnesses refuting Angel’s denial.

Both De Guzman and Dalia still roam free, since warrants for their arrest have yet to be issued against them over the death of Pastor. De Guzman was briefly detained over the possession of illegal firearms but has since been freed on bail.

Price isn’t right

Nidua said in his 9 years as a gun-for-hire, he has killed 10 men. Only men, he noted, because “hindi po ako tumatrabaho ng babae (I don’t do hits on women).”

He claimed he was contacted by a certain Borbie Rivera, the Barangay Chairman of Tramo in Pasay City and Police Inspector Efren Oco who allegedly has ties to the Ozamis Robbery Hold-up Group. Nidua claimed Oco was his “handler.”

Oco and Rivera, said Nidua, share a tight bond. “’Pag may gustong ipapatay si Kapitan Borbie ay kinokontak si Inspector Oco para aktuwal na magdala ng hitman sa kanya (If Chairman Borbie wants someone killed, he contacts Inspector Oco to find him a hitman),” said Nidua. 

Nidua said he met De Guzman at a bar in Makati to discuss the plan to kill Pastor, but the deal soon fizzled out. De Guzman was willing to pay P200,000 ($4,552*) for the hit.

“Tinanggihan ko dahil maliit, nag-demand po ako ng P500,000 ($11,382) para iligpit si Enzo Pastor pero hindi sila pumayag, kaya hindi po ako kumilos (I turned it down because the offer was too low. I demanded P500,000 to do a hit on Enzo Pastor but they didn’t agree, so I didn’t act on it),” he said.

Asked if he knew who really killed Pastor, Nidua said the only person who had the “capacity” to do the hit was a certain “Maynard,” the close-in bodyguard of Rivera.

Nidua also revealed another police officer allegedly involved in the shady world of guns-for-hire. “Si PO2 Balcos ng Highway Patrol Group sa [Camp] Crame, ‘kliyente’ ko po ‘yan dahil may isa ring pulis na gusto niyang ipatrabaho sa ‘kin,” Nidua said in his affidavit. 

(PO2 Balcos of the Highway Patrol Group in Camp Crame is my client; he wanted me to get rid of another police officer.) – Rappler.com

$1 = P43.9