PNCC employee shot by highway robbers

An employee of the Philippine National Construction Corp. was injured during a shootout between policemen and bus robbers along the South Luzon Expressway in Muntinlupa City.

Superintendent Artemio Bermido, chief of police of Taguig, identified the wounded as Virgilio Lacerna who was shot in the abdomen. He has been declared out of danger in an undisclosed hospital.

Bermido said the robbers held-up a MAS Transit bus (NYY-112) at around 7:30 p.m. along the SLEX in Muntinlupa the other night.

The bus was travelling north near the second gate of the Skyway when the suspects announced the holdup.

One of the armed men fired his gun indiscriminately and announced the holdup while his companions divested the passengers of their cash, cellular phones and jewelry.

Bus driver Rogelio Tejas hit the brakes and ran outside to seek help from PNCC personnel.

Lacena along with other responding PNCC personnel ran towards the bus but were met by gunshots from the robbers.

Policemen from the Police Community Precincts 1 and 7 of Taguig police heard the gunshots and joined the chase on the fleeing gunmen.

Of the four robbers, only one was arrested, Jun-Jun Flores, 36, of San Jose, Montalban, Rizal.

Seized from him was a black bag containing two caliber .38 pistols, a fragmentation grenade, and one kitchen knife.

Bermido said his men have identified three of Flores’ companions, namely Ruben Kamil, 35; a certain alias Ricky of Cebu City and a "Don-Don" of Libis, Quezon City.

Police filed charges of robbery, illegal possession of firearms, violation of the Omnibus Election Code, illegal possession of explosives and frustrated homicide against the suspects.