By Jel Santos
Monalisa “Monette” Bernardo, the executive secretary of former Makati mayor Junjun Binay who was shot by a lone gunman as she was getting home Thursday, died Friday night at the Makati Medical Center.
(image courtesy of Jun Binay via FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was confirmed by the Makati police, and the camp of the former mayor.
“Kagabi pumanaw ang ating kaibigan, si Monette Bernardo. Monette succumbed last night to the gunshot wound she suffered when she was attacked by an unidentified assailant last Thursday (Our friend Monette Bernardo has died. Monette succumbed last night to the gunshot wound she suffered when she was attacked by an unidentified assailant last Thursday),” Binay said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page Saturday morning.
Chief Insp. Gideon Ines, Makati police’s Assistant Chief of Police for Operations (ACOPO), said Bernardo died at 11:12 p.m. Friday.
Binay remembered Bernardo as a “kind, generous, and compassionate soul,”saying he treasured and valued their friendship.
“My family and I mourn her passing, and extend our love and prayers to her loved ones during this heartbreaking time,” he added.
The former mayor, meanwhile, pledged that they will not rest until justice is served and those behind her killing are held accountable.
“The sadness and pain we feel today is indescribable; but it is matched by our resolve to secure justice for Monette and her loved ones. We will not rest until those behind this tragedy are held accountable for this unforgivable crime,” he said.
On Friday afternoon, former vice president Jejomar Binay offered P1 million reward to anyone who could give any information that can lead to the apprehension of the one behind the attack on Bernardo.
Bernardo, 44, was attacked in front of her house in Barangay Olympia, Makati around 8 p.m. Thursday while she was parking her car. Two armed men aboard a motorcycle approached her. One of the men, pulled out a gun and shot her once.
She then sustained gunshot wounds in her right hand and stomach. After the armed men fled, Bernardo was rushed to the Makati Medical Center.