A broken glass window of Samar Bus Line indicates which part of the bus the shooting took place early morning of Thursday. (ROBERT DEJON)
CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar—The police are looking for two men who shot dead an alleged gun-for-hire, who had just been released from jail, and his companion inside a passenger bus in Tarangan town, Samar, Tuesday morning.
Alex Regulacion, 41 and Jannel Belleza, both residents of Calbayog City, were inside Samar Bus Line bound for Catbalogan City when they were shot about 6:50 a.m.
Regulacion was allegedly a gun-for-hire operating in Samar and was involved in several killings, said Chief Insp. Angelo Pueblos, Samar police intelligence chief.
He said Regulacion was detained to face charges of homicide but was recently released after posting bail.
Belleza was the brother of Arnold Belleza, leader of gun-for-hire group where Regulacion belonged.
Police report said Regulacion and Belleza were among the passengers of Samar Bus Line, bearing plate No. HAK-659, bound to Catbalogan City.
Upon reaching Barangay Sta. Cruz in Tarangnan, bus driver Danny Seludo stopped the vehicle and told his helper to check the tires since one of these was apparently flat.
The helper went down from the bus when he heard bursts of gunfire.
Pueblos said that the bus inspector, Eduardo Arcallana saw two men, who were seated at the back of the victims, suddenly shot the two in the head.
The gunmen then casually disembarked from the bus and boarded two motorcycles driven by still unidentified men.
Pueblos said the two motorcycles had been tailing the bus since the two victims boarded the vehicle.