BACOLOD City – A 52-year-old contractor and construction supplier was shot dead in broad daylight while opening his hardware store on Bonifacio Street, Barangay 12 here on Tuesday morning, September 9.
The victim, identified as Romy Li of Barangay Taculing, owned Emerald Republic Hardware, a well-known supplier of construction materials in the city. Li was also engaged in contracting projects, making him a familiar figure in the local construction sector.
Police Captain Francis Depasucat, commander of Police Station 1, said Li was rolling up his store’s door around 7:50 a.m. when a masked gunman approached and shot him twice in the head. He was rushed to Riverside Hospital by a Bureau of Fire Protection ambulance but was declared dead on arrival.
An eyewitness, identified only as alias “Nonoy,” told police that he and Li had earlier gone to a warehouse in Taculing before fetching Li’s mother and her caregiver and proceeding to the store. As Li began opening the shop, the assailant – described as wearing a black shirt, shorts, and a mask – attacked at close range. The suspect fled aboard an SUV with no license plate, where at least three other men were waiting.
Bacolod City police director Colonel Joeresty Coronica said investigators were still determining the motive.
“It is still unclear what kind of contracts he is involved in,” he noted.
Friends described Li as a hardworking businessman with no known enemies.
Mayor Greg Gasataya condemned the killing, calling it a “senseless act of violence that has no place in Bacolod City.” He assured the public that the city government is fully supporting the police investigation and vowed zero tolerance for violence.
The mayor also scheduled a meeting with the Filipino-Chinese community and Coronica on Thursday, September 11, to address concerns on safety and security.
As of press time, police were conducting a follow-up investigation to track down the suspects, as colleagues in the construction industry mourned the loss of a businessman whose work supported numerous projects in Bacolod.(Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
