Stray bullet kills habal-habal driver in Mandaue

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — A 39-year-old habal-habal driver or a motorcycle-for-hire driver died a few hours after celebrating the birthday of his brother when he was hit by a stray bullet while inside his house in Sitio Lalin, Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City on early Thursday morning, May 6, 2021.

Fernando Derain Berdesada was hit in the right temple or the area between the right forehead and the right ear and was rushed to the Eversley Child Sanitarium and General Hospital by his live-in partner but the attending physician declared him dead on arrival, said his brother, Rey Berdesada.

Rey said that his brother was already asleep beside his live-in partner in their room in his two story house when shots rang out at the street near their houses at about 2:30 a.m.

The two brothers are neighbors.

Rey said that the bullet came from the direction of his feet and hitting him on the right temple.

Initial investigation showed that at around 2:30 a.m. today, May 6, two gunshots awakened the live-in partner of Fernando, which she felt was near their house.

She even asked herself then: “Kinsa na sad kaha karon ang gipusil?” (Who could have been shot now?)

She said she heard a motorcycle leaving the area, but then she was surprised when Fernando shouted beside her that he had been hit.

“Agay, naigo ko! (I’m hit!),” Fernando shouted to his live-in partner and asked for her help.

Rey, for his part, said that he did not know if this was really a stray bullet incident or was intentional.

However, he said that as far he knew, his brother had no enemy.

“Wala pa gyud mi kahibaw pero daghan spekulasyon kay ang agi sa bala naa sa tiilan niya naigo sa ulo gyud. Wala man sad taw pagtan-aw sa gawas,” Rey said.

(We don’t know [if this was a stray bullet that hit him or not] but there are a lot of speculations because the bullet hit his toe then his head. However, there were no people seen outside his house then.)

Police, however, are investigating the death of Fernando as a stray bullet incident.

Rey also said that a few hours earlier he and his brother and family and friends celebrated his birthday.

He said that they slept late that night but at the time of the incident everybody was already in bed. 

He said he did not know that that last night was the last time that he would see his brother alive and the last time that he would celebrate his birthday with him.

/dbs

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