MANILA - The mother of Jason Ivler, the suspect in the killing last Wednesday of the only son of a Palace official, wants her son to surrender to authorities.

“To Jason, I say if you are guilty, I beg you with all my heart to surrender yourself and face this,” said Marlene Aguilar.

Mrs. Aguilar is a sister of Filipino nationalist-folk singer Freddie Aguilar, who is famous for his song, "Anak."

Her son is the suspect in the road rage killing of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr., son of assistant secretary Renato Ebarle, who works in the office of the Presidential Chief of Staff.

Mrs. Aguilar made the emotional statement during the launching of her book at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Sunday.

Reading a prepared statement, Marlene offered her condolences to the Ebarle family, especially to the victim's mother.

She said that as a mother, she knows that Mrs. Ebarle also “died” with her son.

Marlene said she cannot do anything if her son is guilty. The only thing she can do, said Marlene, is to pray for him so he can find peace and be safe.

If her son is guilty, said Marlene, then she accepts that her son has “died”.

“If you are guilty, then I have accepted your death,” said Marlene.

She denied, however, that she knows where her son is hiding.

“Denying”

Undersecretary Ebarle Sr., however, said he does not believe that Mrs. Aguilar does not know where her son is.

“Ang paniwala ko is, they are just denying it,” said Ebarle Sr. in a phone interview.

He asked the family to cooperate with the police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which have launched a manhunt for Ivler.

Authorities on Saturday searched for but failed to find him in two houses.

Operatives from four law enforcement units went to the family's residence in Blueridge Subdivision along Katipunan Ave., and in the ancestral house of the Aguilar family on 7th Street, New Manila, both in Quezon City, but did not find Ivler.

His uncle Freddie Aguilar, meanwhile, said he is willing to accompany his nephew should he decide to surrender to authorities.

He also denied that Jason regularly frequents the house in New Manila where the folk singer stays.

Authorities have sought for a hold departure order against Ivler to prevent him from leaving the country.

Ebarle was shot dead in Quezon City on Wednesday following a traffic altercation.

Ivler, is the stepson of Stephen Pollard, a British national who works with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and has a diplomat status.

But the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Ivler cannot invoke diplomatic privileges and is not immune from arrest.

Ebarle Sr. expressed hope authorities would be able to effect the arrest soon following the order for a nationwide manhunt. He appealed to Ivler's kin to surrender him to authorities.

He recalled that Pollard promised that he would give his full cooperation for the surrender or the arrest of his stepson.

Pollard's lawyer, Alexis Medina, urged Ivler to surrender, and added that Pollard is not hiding his stepson.

Ivler was previously arrested after his car crashed and killed Presidential Technical Assistant for Resettlement Undersecretary Nestor Ponce Jr. in August 2004. Ivler escaped but was later arrested.

The young Ebarle, a recruitment manager of the Manila Peninsula Hotel, was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser on Santolan Rd. in Quezon City at 11 p.m. on Wednesday when he almost collided with a blue Honda CRV with diplomatic plate 209003 registered under Pollard. – with reports from Joey Villarama and Zyann Ambrosio, ABS-CBN News