By Raymund Antonio “It’s a miracle,” real estate developer Jeffrey Dizon said on Wednesday as he recalled escaping an assassination attempt in his own home in Angeles City, Pampanga last month. Jeffrey Dizon (2nd from right) holds the photo of the compound where the assassination attempt on him occurred.
(RAYMUND ANTONIO / MANILA BULLETIN) “The sniper assassin missed his shots four times,” Dizon, 48, a resident of St. Catherine Compound in Barangay Pandan, told reporters in a media forum held in Quezon City. “I was clearly the target of the shooting. The only reason the shot missed was because I was moving around,” he said. Dizon, the eldest son of a well-known family that owns the Saint Catherine Development Corp., said he was unhurt, but he feared for his life and his family’s safety after the Feb. 29 gun attack. Police investigation showed the four gunshots came from a 5.56 caliber rifle positioned in an elevated area inside the same compound, where his mother and siblings also live. On March 3, probers inspected the crime scene, where they found four bullet holes in the concrete wall of Dizon’s house, indicating there may have been a previous attempt to kill him. At the moment, Dizon said he has “no suspects” behind the failed attempt on his life, but he revealed a business “dispute” between him and his family. Dizon is a shareholder and director of the family corporation, with his siblings San Fernando City Councilor Celestino Dizon, Erwin Dizon, Lea Angeles, and his mother Ludivina Singian Dizon. “I do not know who is trying to kill me and I do not have any enemies,” he said. “I’m not accusing anyone...I’m just stating the facts and events that transpired.” The Pampanga-based businessman offered a cash reward of P3 million for any information leading to the arrest of the suspects and mastermind of the assassination attempt, provided they are caught alive. “Wherever I hide, my perpetrators remain at large. I’m seeking justice for what was committed against me,” he said. Dizon’s legal counsel Eric Mallonga, who was also present in the forum, said they would seek the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the conduct of a parallel investigation into the incident. He said the reward money and the NBI probe can help obtain a speedy resolution of the case.