CEBU CITY – A policeman and his sister were wounded in an ambush in Barangay Poblacion, Samboan, Cebu on Good Friday.
Police identified the wounded policeman as Police Master Sgt. Roy Calavida.
Police said Calavida and his family had just attended Mass at St. Michael Archangel Church and were on their way home onboard a vehicle when two men onboard a motorcycle appeared in Sitio Paho.
The suspects drew firearms and opened fire at the vehicle. Cavalida, who is assigned to the Philippine National Police Regional Office-Central Visayas headquarters in Cebu City, was hit in the left leg and abdomen while her sister was wounded in the lower part of the torso.
Three other family members aboard the car were unscathed.
Cavalida and her sister were rushed to a hospital.
Police Lt. Warlito Toñacao, Samboan police chief, said the motive of the attack is still under investigation.
Several empty shells for an M16 rifle and .45 caliber pistol were recovered in the crime scene.
Meanwhile, Police Col. Manuel Abrugena, chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said the observance of the Holy Week in the province was generally peaceful as, except for the ambush in Samboan, no major incidents were reported.
The CPPO chief said that at least 100 policemen were deployed to secure areas in the province especially those that are normally being frequented by foreign and local tourists during Holy Week. (Calvin D. Cordova)