Association of Barangay Councils in Cebu City president Franklin Ong, owner of the Chevrolet showroom in Mandaue City, was in the company of Mayor Tomas Osmeña and other political allies when he heard the news of the attack from his staff. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / Garry Lao
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Chevrolet showroom of Franklin Ong, president of the Association of Barangay Councils in Cebu City, was peppered with bullets by unidentified persons around 1:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, 2019.
The showroom is located in Mandaue City.
Ong is allied with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), the party led by Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Authorities from the Mandaue City Operations Tactical Center confirmed the incident.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) agents are now in the area. They initially recovered 10 empty shells.
Garry Lao, former barangay Tejero councilor, said he was with Ong, Mayor Tomas Osmeña and other friends and political allies when they learned about the attack from Ong’s staff.
Lao, head of the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap), said Ong’s staff reported that the suspects responsible for the attack rode a white van.
“We were chilling out when the entire table went silent because someone called him (Ong). Nahibulong intawon sya,” Lao told CDN Digital.
Lao said Ong’s facial expression turned serious as he turned to him (Lao) and Osmeña immediately after he heard the news.
“He told us and Tommy that this will not buckle us,” said Lao.