Cops looking for link between Mandaue and Cebu City strafing incidents

The white van used by the perpetrators of the strafing incident in the Chevrolet Mandaue City showroom owned by Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Franklyn Ong. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The strafing of the Chevrolet showroom in Mandaue City at past 1 a.m. on May 4 may be connected to the recent strafing incidents involving houses of barangay officials in the mountain barangays in Cebu City.

Police Major Villacampa, chief of the Mandaue City Police Station 1 or Centro Police Station, said they were studying the similarities of these strafing incidents, and they were coordinating with the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) in the investigation of the case.

The strafing attacks were done on Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) allies with the target of the latest attack, the Chevrolet showroom, is owned by  Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Franklyn Ong.

The other three attacks last April 4 were on the houses of the barangay captains of Sudlon, Malubog, and Sinsin.

Witnesses to the strafing of the officials’ houses in the mountain barangays claim that the attackers were aboard a white van followed by two men on a motorcycle.

Read more: Comelec Cebu City chief: 10-day deadline on cops for strafing incidents’ probe reasonable, but …

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the strafing incident in Mandaue City showed that the perpetrators rode a white van followed by two men on board a motorcycle.

Villacampa said the similarities might mean that the incidents could be connected, but they were still gathering more data to establish the motives of the incident.

Read more: Persons in white van attack Osmeña ally’s car showroom

“Parehas man gud nga white van nya naa pud motor. Nya parehas nga mura rag panghulga so ato gyod tan-awon if connected ba,” said Villacampa on a phone interview.

 (The two incidents are similar because they involved a white van and men on board a motorcycle. The incidents also appeared to be some sort of intimidation so we will be checking if they are connected.)

Villacampa admitted that it is difficult to identify any persons of interest because in the footage none of the perpetrators went out of the van.

He said the incident went by fast which makes it harder to identify the perpetrators.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said on his facebook post that the strafing incident on the showroom of Ong was an intimidation to the ex-officio councilor.

Osmeña posted on facebook the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footages of the white van.

“White HiAce with motorcycle backup. No license plates. Approx. 12 rounds fired. This is just intimidation. Fortunately no one was hurt,” said Osmeña in his post.

Osmeña encouraged the public to inform him of any information regarding the vehicle through his mobile phone number, 0917 329 9999./dbs