Politics to blame, says victim’s child

Alexandra Mae Alicaway will graduate on March 26 with a degree in biology, but she said the occasion would be gloomy as her public servant father was killed last Wednesday afternoon.

San Fernando, Cebu Councilor Alexander Alicaway, 49, did not promise any gift to his 20-year-old daughter, the eldest in a brood of four.

“Okey ra man walay ihatag basta buhi lang akong Papa (I don’t mind about gifts as long as my father is alive),” Alexandra Mae said in a phone interview.

She learned about the incident while she was in a rehearsal for the graduation rites.

The victim’s family believed politics played a hand behind his murder. Councilor Alicaway was walking from his store in the public market in Barangay South Poblacion, San Fernando when riding-in-tandem assassins drove by and shot him in the head.

Alexandra Mae said they could not think of other motives as her father had no enemies.

“Politika ra gyoy hinungdan nga namatay akong papa (We can only think of politics as the motive),” she said.

She said in a phone interview that the cell phone contained information that could lead to the reasons behind the ambush.

“Nganong selpon ra man ang gikuha? Basin tua didto ang tanang ebedensiya (Why get only the cell phone? The evidence might be there),” Alexandra Mae said. “Nganong gipatay akong Papa? Ka maayong tawo sa akong Papa.”

Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Edgar Alan Okubo said the investigators have leads and they are looking into the possibility that the ambush-slay was related to his work as a councilor.

“Baka may nasasagasaan. Isa yan sa titingnan natin (He could have angered someone),” he said.

Before he was ambushed, Councilor Alicaway was reportedly delivering a letter to the municipal council, asking them to investigate an allegedly illegal transaction of the Municipal Government.

Alicaway had showed his wife Maria Victoria a letter from an anonymous source, who was reportedly asking him and other councilors to investigate the sale of the Municipal Government’s unserviceable vehicles and heavy equipment for scrap metal, even though no public bidding was conducted.

Alicaway reportedly wanted the contents of the letter to be tackled during the council’s regular session on Monday.

Police earlier reported that the assailants stole Alicaway’s necklace and cell phone after shooting him, but it was later learned that the jewelry was taken by the victim’s family.

One of the assassins was heard shouting at the public official to stop his involvement in illegal drug trade.

Investigators believed the culprits planned to mislead them by stealing the cell phone.