INVESTIGATORS have identified the two alleged masterminds in the killing of political vlogger Alicia “Mima Alicia” Lipata.
In an interview with reporters, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the couple, tagged as the alleged masterminds, had been charged with murder.
“The motive? It’s about the profession and as well as they have personal grudge or personal disagreements na nagsimula sa utang (that started with debt),” he said.
Nartatez said the debt involved amounted to P8 million.
“As of now, that is the motive,” he said, amid rumors on social media that politics could have been behind Lipata’s killing.
Lipata, 24, a social media personality known for supporting the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and for her commentaries critical of Vice President Sara Duterte and other Duterte allies, was killed in a predawn attack on Friday, July 18, 2026, by two motorcycle-riding suspects in Caloocan City.
Her live-in partner survived the shooting.
On July 23, police arrested the 58-year-old alleged gunman and the 48-year-old alleged driver in Barangay Dau, Mabalacat City, Pampanga. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)