Bunye’s nephew shot dead

A nephew of Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye was shot dead by two still unidentified assailants shortly before noon yesterday.

Virgilio Bunye, 52, was killed while tending to his store in Muntinlupa City.

Police Officer 2 Henry Sayson, officer-on-case, said Bunye was attending to the suspects posing as customers buying medicine when one of them shot Bunye thrice at around 11:30 a.m.

The attackers fled on a motorcycle.

Bunye was shot once in the head and twice in the body. He was brought to Muntinlupa Medical Center where he died an hour later.

Apart from his job as an engineer, Bunye directly supervises his Summit Drug and General Merchandise Store, located along the National Road in Barangay Putatan. Two sales assistants were around at the time of the attack.

Police investigators suspect that the killing was connected to an alleged land dispute. Although Bunye was said to be the owner of Esporlas Compound, also located in Barangay Putatan, several others are reportedly claiming the property.

Superintendent Jose Mario Espino, Muntinlupa police chief, said a recent removal of several squatter families from the property could also be connected to the killing.

A former caretaker of the property survived an ambush last year, Espino added.