PRO-7 chief: Xmas peaceful

Hundreds attend the Christmas eve Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. Police say that the Christmas celebrations were peaceful despite the three people shot dead and the firecracker-related incidents.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

Six shot dead, 1 hit by stray bullet in three days

Despite the death of a police officer including the death of three of his assailants and three other persons in separate shooting incidents, and another wounded by a stray bullet during the long weekend, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño said that the Christmas celebrations were generally peaceful in the region.

“Very peaceful ’yung Christmas celebration natin. There were minor incidents that happened. Except isang major doon ang pagkapatay kay Sen. Insp. Alejandro Nuñez, but that happened before Christmas Day,” said Taliño in a phone interview yesterday.

Nuñez, Catmon police chief, was shot dead by one of five brothers last Saturday afternoon as he responded to a trouble alarm in Carmen town.

Nuñez was on his way home to spend his Christmas with his family.

Nuñez shot dead one of the brothers, before he was killed, while two of the other brothers were killed by police after they tried to grab the gun of a police officer, who arrested them.

Earlier on Saturday at past 3 a.m., Marchton Layo, 27, of Barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City, was walking along Zone Sayote, Barangay Basak, Mandaue City when he was shot several times by an unidentified assailant.

He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

PO2 Genus Capangpangan, investigator of Basak Police Station, said they were still trying to determine the motive of the shooting attack and find the shooter.

At dawn on Christmas Day, a man waiting for a ride in Sitio Tambis, in Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City, was hit by a stray bullet in the back.

Philip Rongcales, 56, sought the help of the barangay tanods, who rushed him to the hospital at 4 a.m.

Rongcales suffered a gunshot in the back with the slug embedded in his back.

He said he heard something fall from a galvanized iron sheet roof at a sari-sari store where he was standing, and later, he felt numbness in his back and discovered he was bleeding.

SPO2 Dionesio dela Peña and the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) are still conducting further investigation at said place to determine where the bullet came from.

Yesterday in Lapu-Lapu City, an eatery helper, Raffy Tampus, 30, of Sitio Tugas, Barangay Gun-ob, was shot dead by a man riding a motorcycle at 8 a.m. in S. Osmena St., Barangay Poblacion.

PO3 Lydo Pinos, Homicide investigator said a witness said that the victim was fetched by his friend Roniel Odiada to meet a certain “Lanai,” but while they were walking along S. Osmena St., two men on a motorcycle arrived.

Pinos said the backrider pulled out a gun and shot Tampus.
Pinos said they recovered empty shells of a .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene and two small sachets of suspected shabu from the victim’s pocket.

Police are still investigating the shooting.

In Cebu City, also on Christmas Day, a trisikad driver was shot dead by an unknown assailant at N. Bacalso Avenue, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.

Sergio Romeo Jr., a resident of San Roquinian 2, Brgy. Mambaling, died after he suffered a gunshot wound in his chest.
Investigation showed that Romeo was driving his trisikad when a man called, approached him and shot him.

Police were still investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, Talino also said that they recorded three victims of firecracker blasts and one victim of alleged stray bullet in Cebu City.

Taliño said that the alleged stray bullet incident was not reported to the police. In fact, it was the initiative of the police to check hospitals, and they found out there was a victim of alleged stray bullet admitted in Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

“He had a gunshot wound in the leg. He was shot while walking along Pope John Paul Ave. When we validated the incident, it was a self-inflicted wound,” Taliño said in Tagalog.

Until now, the police is still looking for the victim since there were reports that the victim came from a drinking spree, which was still not confirmed.

Meanwhile, Reynan Cimafranca, chief of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu-7) of the Department of Health, said that as of Monday they recorded 14 cases of firecracker-related incidents, as compared to last year’s 13 cases.