Woman, son gunned down in property dispute

MANILA, Philippines - A woman and her son were dead during a violent confrontation with security guards manning a contested piece of property in Fairview, Quezon City Friday afternoon.

Myrna Porcare, 42, and her son Jemer, 18, died at the FEU Hospital for the gunshot wounds they sustained from the killing.

Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego, director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), said they have arrested two of the security guards – Ernesto Cruz and Nelson Corporal – allegedly behind the shooting in an area in Barangay North Fairview called “Petchayan Kanan” at around 5 p.m. 

According to a police report, Myrna reportedly led residents in the area in a protest against the putting up of a fence around the site being claimed by a certain Melicio Navarez.

According to Myrna’s brother, Bayani Presocia, around 15 security guards accompanied by workers were building the perimeter fence when Myrna’s group removed some of the fence structures that had been put up.

Presocia claimed that during the confrontation, he heard someone from the other group order the guards to fire at the residents. A shot was fired and hit Myrna. When her son came to her rescue, the boy was also allegedly shot by one of the guards.

According to Presocia, all the security guards fled the scene but two of them were arrested by responding policemen from the QCPD-Station 5.        – Reinir Padua