Passengers rob, shoot 'habal' driver

CEBU, Philippines - A motorcycle-for-hire (habal-habal) driver was robbed by his three unidentified passengers, and shot afterwards, in sitio Sibagay, barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City the other night.

The victim was identified as Jefferson Siton, of legal age, single, and a resident of sitio Alimango, also of the said barangay.

Initial investigation conducted by the police officers of Toledo City revealed that the three robbers pretended to be passengers who took the ride from barangay Don Andres Soriano (formerly Lutopan), also of the said city. Upon reaching Sibagay, one of the men pulled out an unknown caliber of firearm and pointed it on the head of the victim, demanded him to pull over, and declared a holdup.

When the victim showed resistance, the man shot him once in the head. The assailants fled onboard the motorcycle bearing plate number YI-6661 leaving the victim sprawled on the ground.

The victim was then rushed to the nearest hospital but was later transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

SPO3 Gil Lastimosa of the Toledo City Police Station said that they are still on follow-up operation to establish the identity of the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, a 22-year-old man was shot and killed the other night in sitio Puntod Alaska-Mambaling, this city, in the middle of a toss-coin game.

Dixon Villacorta, single, and a jobless resident of the said place was shot by an unidentified man for still undetermined reason.

Investigation showed that there were three bursts of gunfire heard where a toss-coin game locally called as “hantak” was held at around 10 p.m.

When the shots ceased, people then discovered Villacorta’s body sprawled face on the ground with gunshot wounds on the back of his head, right portion of the neck, and on the left thigh.

Responding personnel from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation assessed the victim as “unresponsive and not breathing at all.”

The body was then taken to the St. Francis Funeral Homes for autopsy.

SPO3 Rey Cuyos of the Cebu City Police Office-Homicide Section said that nobody from the people during the hantak game was able to identify the assailant.

Forty-seven-year-old Ignacio Villacorta, father of the victim, said that he has no idea as to why his son was attacked. He also said he knows not of any enemies or any persons that might have been offended by his son. — Gabriel C. Bonjoc and Niña G. Sumacot/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)