Suspect in Argao bus shooting surrenders

CEBU, Philippines - The alleged assailant in last Friday’s bus shooting in Argao town, which left one man dead and two others wounded, surrendered to the police after he felt depressed over killing his friend.

Argao Police Station chief Insp. Alan Batobalunos said he was approached by a relative of the suspect that same day informing him that Danilo Puerto wanted to surrender.

Early dawn yesterday, Puerto sent a text message to the police of his whereabouts and that he wanted to surrender.

Batobalunos and his men apprehended Puerto in his aunt’s house in Sitio Canca-inap, Barangay Tulic, Argao, around 6:30 a.m.

Puerto is currently detained in the Argao police station awaiting the filing of charges against him on Monday. He may face murder for killing his close friend Junjun Espina.

Batobalunos said Puerto appeared to still be in a state of shock over shooting Espina who died of a gunshot wound to the back.

Puerto and Espina were identified as members of the so-called ‘Tisa Boys” of Argao who got into a fight with Ceres driver Luciano Bustamante of Barangay Lamac, Pinamungajan town, last Friday.

Bustamante was driving a bus en route to Cebu City from Bato, Oslob town, when he got in trouble in Argao Town with Puerto and Espina. He said that while caught in traffic in Barangay Poblacion, he noticed the slamming of hands on the rear of the bus.

When he turned, he saw Espina driving a trisikad. To his surprise, Espina went up the bus and accused him of trying to sideswipe him.

On of the Ceres passengers shouted at Espina, however, Espina threatened the passenger and got off the bus.

Moments later, gunshots were fired while everyone in the bus scrambled for cover. The shooter turned out to be Puerto who was trying to shoot Bustamante.

Puerto’s first shot went through the bus ceiling and the driver while the second accidentally hit Espina. He also hit his friend Kervy John Cahilig, who had been trying to stop him from shooting Bustamante.

Espina was killed instantly while Bustamante and Cahilig were taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, a female dispatcher is fighting for her life after she was shot in the head by an unidentified man in Barangay Santo Niño yesterday afternoon.

SPO2 Ricardo Abesia Jr., one of the responding personnel of the Mobile Patrol Group, said the victim was dispatching jeepneys along corner MC Briones and D. Jakosalem streets at 1 p.m. yesterday when a man approached her and shot her in the left side of her head.

Paramedics of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation took her to the hospital. As of yesterday no one had visited the victim.

Bystanders identified her only as a certain “Jessica”.

PO3 Wetzel Berry said the victim apparently had some enemies as she was also stabbed a year ago along Magallanes St. The motive is still unknown.

Berry said the victim dispatches for jeepneys at the place and sleeps somewhere along Plaridel St. (FREEMAN)