After visiting jailed suspects; Two women killed in Dumaguete

CEBU, Philippines — Two women from Pasay City—after visiting 12 detained suspects who allegedly victimized several establishments in Dumaguete City by using counterfeit credit cards—were shot and killed Saturday morning, one of whom was killed on the spot, while the other died later at the Intensive Care Unit of the Holy Child Hospital in the city.

Declared dead by Dr. Kenneth Coo, chief of One Rescue, was identified as a certain Meagan Noble, 21 years old, single, with live-in partner, resident of Malibay in Pasay City, while the other was identified as April Bien, 30 years old, single, with live-in partner, resident of Advincula Street in Pasay City.

The two were on board a tricycle (with body number 0056), when the unidentified assailants riding on a motorcycle, shot at them several times, resulting in the instantaneous death of Noble and later to Bien.

Initial investigations disclosed the two just came from the city detention cell to visit the 12 detained suspects in an estafa case filed by a hotel owner for using fake credit cards. The visit happened while the city police were having a formation for deployment to the Sandurot Festival activities.

Few minutes later at around 10:30 a.m., after the two left the cell, bursts of gunfires were heard resulting to the deaths of the two female visitors of the 12 who were accused as members of a fake credit card syndicate.

The tricycle driver, identified as Jenny Estrabela, said the two women flagged him down at the southern tip of Meciano Road and asked him to bring them to a fastfood outlet, when suddenly the assailants, covering their faces with bonnets and riding a motorcycle, ordered him to stop.

He did, but the backrider suddenly shot the two women from behind, and then told him to run away. In that instance, the backrider alighted and went to the right side of the pedicab and continued firing at the two victims.

Footage of CCTV cameras along Meciano Road showed that the gunmen even took the bags of the two victims before leaving the crime scene.

Superintendent Jovito Atanacio, Dumaguete Police, said the two women visited and talked with their respective live-in partners, who were among the 12, and they could have discussed on how to bail the latter out. Bien’s live-in partner is Raymundo Erickson, while Noble’s live-in partner is Albert Marasigan, the alleged leader of the group.

In an interview with lawyer Freddie Hermosa, who stood as legal counsel of the 12, the two posted bail bonds for nine of the 12 at P16,000 each at the Clerk of Court on Friday, but the judge required them to submit birth certificates when told by one of the women that their identification cards were fake.

As a result, the 12, including the nine whose bails were posted, could not be released until their true birth certificates are submitted to the court. The 12 are presently detained at the Dumaguete Police Station.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation earlier alleged Noble as the 13th member of the group, and allegedly she was in charge of the purchased items from different establishments in Dumaguete, although the whereabouts of the Canter vehicle, in which the items were loaded, could not be traced anymore.

Investigator on case, Police Officer 3 Anthony Vee Alanano, mainly relied on what the names given by the 12 when they victimized the establishments, only to find out later these were fictitious names.

Atanacio and Senior Superintendent  Edwin Portento, director of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, had conferred with the duty investigator at the police station to dig deeper into the motive and true identities of the suspects. (FREEMAN)