Cop accused of plotting to kill Mayor Lim

Manila police on Wednesday claimed to have stopped an assassination plot on Mayor Alfredo Lim after they arrested the supposed assassin in Quezon City on Tuesday, according to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras." The alleged assassin, P03 Antonio Bautista Jr., planned to assault Lim by setting off a bomb near the mayor’s vehicle, the report said. The police found out about Bautista’s plan after his arrest for allegedly raping a vendor. According to the report, Bautista and his longtime friend, Rey Tullao, had been exchanging messages that the former intended to assassinate Lim. “Pasabugin na natin ang Manila City Hall. Sinisira nila buhay ko," Tullao quoted Bautista as saying in a text message. Bautista had been hiding for almost five months to evade arrest. He was accused of sexually assaulting a female vendor inside the Manila Police District’s headquarters.

Chief Inspector Mar Reyes, head of MPD’s General Assignment Section, insinuated that Bautista is guilty of plotting an assassination attempt against Lim. “As a policeman, kung wala nang mangyayari sa buhay ko, magiging wanted ako... I can exact revenge," Reyes said. Bautista, however, denied that he planned to assassinate Lim. “Wala po akong kakayanan. Pambili nga lang ng almusal, wala ako," he said in the same report. Tension gripped Lim’s office when the suspect and victim confronted each other. Lim, himself a former policeman, said the alleged sexual assault was an “insult" to the police organization. — KBK, GMA News