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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police continue to investigate the Feb. 18 killing of a policeman and a jail officer, and the wounding of a 53-year-old woman in Barangay Tinago in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kym Vadillo Lopez, information officer of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Police Office (NOPPO), said that the attack happened during the celebration of the city’s fiesta.
He also said that the dead policeman, Patrolman Rhulin Mar Abrasaldo; and the wounded woman victim, Winchita Villuz, were guests of Jail Officer Edwin Laag, who also died in the attack.
Lopez said that the shooting attack happened just outside the jail officer’s house.
Initial probe on Bayawan attack
Initial investigation showed that Patrolman Abrasaldo and Jail Officer Laag were fatally shot as they were trying to fire at the fleeing motorcycle-riding gunman.
“Babaril na sana itong pulis at BJMP [Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel] pero naunahan sila ng suspect, then natamaan yung dalawang lalaki. Ibat-ibang parte ng katawan,” Lopez said.
(The policeman and the BJMP [officer] were trying to shoot the motorcycle-riding gunman, but the gunman was faster than both law enforcers and was able to fire first, hitting both men in different parts of their body.)
A few minutes earlier, the gunman, who was the backrider of a motorcycle, who was driven by a shooter’s cohort, shot and wounded a woman, Villuz.
Villuz survived the attack and was recuperating from her wounds at the hospital.
The shooting happened after Villuz went out of Laag’s house for a few minutes.
Then shots were heard outside the house.
It was then that both Abrasaldo and Laag rushed outside the house, but they were cut down as they tried to fire at the fleeing gunman.
No motive yet
Lopez said that they still had no motive for the attack, and they were digging deeper on the background of Villuz who was believed to be the target of the attack.
With the death of the law enforcers, Police Brigadier General Jerry Bearis, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, reminded police officers to always have presence of mind and to always be cautious when responding to an alarm such as shootings.
Bearis relayed this message through Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Pelare, PRO-7 chief’s spokesperson.
“We have just reiterated our directive to make sure our personnel in the ground, when responding to alarm they are on a proper mindset, but, of course, they should be very cautious,” Pelare said.
“Incidents like this happen every now and then. What we can do here is to make sure atong mga police preparado always para inig responde nila. (our police are always prepared when they respond [to an alarm]) Their security is secured,” he said.
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