Shooting, robbery victim: Survival was miracle

CEBU, Philippines - “It’s sheer miracle! It’s sheer miracle that I can account.”    

This was how Eleanor Rivera, 53, described her ordeal after surviving two gunshots to her abdomen from three men who took her bag and vehicle Sunday night.

Clutching on a bronze image of St. John Paul II, her conversation with the press at the hospital where she is admitted had to be interrupted by shortage of breath. She also shed tears twice during the interview.

She narrated that she and her house help came from the Healing and Wellness Nature Farm in Balamban, which she owns.

Around 8:30 p.m. she reportedly felt sleepy while driving to Cebu City so she decided to stop her vehicle near Ayala Heights to rest. She locked the doors of her Chevrolet JEC 386 and slept but after about two hours, the three suspects arrived on board a motorcycle, one of whom disembarked, went near the vehicle and fired a shot.

“Thinking nga mu-escape na ko, didto siya nipusil… iyang gi-blockingan ang akong sakyanan. I said I’ll open the door… he probably could not hear me… I said don’t shoot me I’ll open the door. He did it anyway,” Rivera said.

“I begged him just take all my money, I’ll give you kay at that time I had money for payroll, tulo man sila ang pinaka-aggresibo kato’ng guwang-guwang,” she added.

Rivera said the suspects took her bag, which contained P50,000 supposedly for salary for her workers, her tab,  phone, and other personal belongings, as well as her vehicle. 

It reportedly took her about an hour to get help.

“I couldn’t get help… I had to walk to the Ayala Heights guard; they didn’t even have a phone. They won’t believe me until I showed them my hand that was bleeding,” she said.

“I stopped two cars they won’t stop…finally naa nay nanugok nga mga tawo. To be fair, katong nibalibad he did mention nga mutawag siya’g barangay,” she said.

Eventually, a woman in a car stopped and brought her to the hospital. They reportedly arrived at the hospital at past 11 p.m. but she was admitted only after about three hours at past 2 a.m.

“For crying out loud, I have a medical background, the resident surgeon said, ‘Ma’am, we have to wait for the doctor, Oh my God, it’s a gunshot… I was shot 10:00 I didn’t get to surgery until 2:30,” she added.

She said the doctor told her that she has to be confined at the hospital up to seven days to recover fully.

Chief Insp. Noli Cernio, head of the Theft and Robbery Section, said he has been ordered to solve the case immediately.

They reportedly backtracked the steps of the suspects and were disappointed to know that the CCTV camera at a gasoline station could not be of use.

“Naa silay CCTV pero pagpangutana namo not serviceable man,” Cernio said.

Initial investigation revealed that the three suspects were just having fun but evidence point to robbery.

 For Rivera, she is only grateful to have survived the ordeal. “I’m grateful that I’m alive, it’s a sheer grace of God, she said. – (FREEMAN)