PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said on Monday, August 3, 2026, that the killing of political vlogger Alicia “Mima Alicia” Lipata has been solved following the filing of murder charges against six individuals.
During a press conference, Nartatez said of the six individuals charged, three are already under police custody, including the alleged gunman, his driver, and one of the middlemen.
He said the two alleged masterminds and another middleman remain at large.
“We have a lead on their whereabouts,” Nartatez said.
The PNP chief also said investigators have recovered the firearm used in Lipata’s killing.
He said ballistic examinations showed that the firearm had also been used in 10 other shooting and robbery incidents in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Quezon City, and Malabon since 2016.
Nartatez added that the alleged gunman previously served as a security personnel for a deceased high-value drug personality in Iloilo.
Northern Police District Director Brigadier General Benliner Capili said the arrested middleman directly coordinated with the alleged masterminds in carrying out Lipata’s killing.
He said the suspects were initially paid P250,000 for the hit.
Lipata, 24, a social media personality known for supporting the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and for commentaries critical of Vice President Sara Duterte and other Duterte allies, was killed in a predawn attack on July 18, by two motorcycle-riding suspects in Caloocan City.
Her live-in partner survived the attack. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)