Student hurt in Quiapo road rage attack recovering

MANILA, Philippines - An 18-year-old student who was hit by a stray bullet during the Quiapo road rage shooting in July can walk again but needs more time to recover.    

In a statement released by the Manila City government yesterday, Rowena Dunca said her niece Rocel Bondoc – a scholar at the city-run Universidad de Manila – is undergoing physical therapy at the Mary Chiles Hospital.

“She is now strong. She can now walk and run. We are grateful for all the help and support, especially to Mayor Erap,” she said, referring to Mayor Joseph Estrada’s nickname.

Dunca said Estrada has assured them that her niece will get to finish college for free.

The mayor said he is “equally thankful that Rocel’s condition is improving and she’ll be able to go back to her studies very soon.”

Bondoc had been confined at the hospital’s intensive care unit for more than a month after being hit by a stray bullet when Army reservist Vhon Tanto shot dead cyclist Mark Vincent Garalde during a traffic spat that has been referred to as the Quiapo road rage shooting on July 25.

Bondoc was throwing out garbage at the time. She is an orphan and lives with her aunts and grandmother on P. Casal street, near the scene of the shooting.

According to earlier reports, the bullet hit Bondoc’s left kidney and missed her spine by two centimeters.

The incident was caught on a closed-circuit television video that has gone viral on the internet.

Dunca said doctors advised her niece “to stay at home for complete rest. That is why she cannot go to school yet.”

She said Bondoc has not forgiven Tanto, who was later arrested in Masbate, and the family has been closely monitoring the progress of the criminal charges filed against him.

“We want justice to be served and he should pay for the crime he committed,” Dunca said.

According to the statement, Estrada raised funds to pay for Bondoc’s hospital bills, which reached P200,000, and visited her after she underwent surgery.