ZAMBOANGA City – A passenger bus bound for Pagadian City was riddled with bullets by at least five unidentified men before midnight of Valentine’s Day.
At least eight of the passengers were hurt and were identified as Noel Lopez, 45 years old, John Baynosa, 36 years old, Jaman Alam, 53, Ednalia Gilla, 20, Raniel Abeng, 22, Christpher Cagan, 27, George Elnas, 35 and Genevie Lopez, 35.
The victims were hit when the Rural Transit bus they were riding was peppered with M16 rifles along Maria Clara Lobregat highway boundary of Barangay Buenavista and Barangay Muti in this city.
Police Director for Zamboanga Peninsula Chief Supt Billy Beltran said policemen from the Curuan Police station backed by elements of Task Force Zamboanga immediately responded to the incident but failed to catch the suspects who immediately fled towards a dim area.
Bus driver Celedonio Sugabo reportedly tried to evade the area where the gunmen started to fire.
The suspects however went on to pursue the vehicle until it reached a marine checkpoint in Muti Village which was about one kilometer away from where the attack started.
City police chief Luisito Magnaye said they are looking into the possibility that the attack was a retaliation of the armed men on authorities who were able to arrest or neutralize their cohorts.
Extortion is another angle that investigators are trying to check.
As of press time no group has claimed responsibility on attack.
There are however complaints about the highway as most of the area, which links Zamboanga City to different provinces in Mindanao, does not have streetlights.
This could be the reason why countless attacks perpetrated by bandits have occured along the highway.
(Nonoy E. Lacson)
