Friday, September 29, 2006 2 collegians, BOC man killed By Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporter
TWO college students and a utility man working for the customs bureau were killed in a shooting attack late Wednesday night in Cebu City, about 200 meters away from a police station.
Acting Cebu City Police Director Melvin Gayotin ordered the Parian Police Station, under the command of Supt. Glenn Ares, to submit a report on the crime.
Gayotin wants to know if the police swiftly responded to the attack.
With hundreds of police recruits now in Metro Cebu to prepare for a summit in December, an apparent rise in violent crimes has puzzled certain local officials and prompted a review of the system of fielding police operatives.
Criminals weren’t the only ones who scored, though. “Secret marshals” aboard a passenger jeepney also foiled a robbery this week.
In yesterday’s case, the police identified the victims as Earl Rodrigo Luma-ing, 23, a third year music major at the University of the Southern Philippines; Miles Oliver Cortez, 16, a first year nautical student at the University of Cebu; and Millard A. Montederamos, 22, a utility worker of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Cebu.
Not vigilante
They were attacked past 11 p.m. in front of Apartment 1 of Mercedes Bldg. at the corner of Isagani and Ibarra Sts., in the same block where the Parian Police Station holds office.
The shooting occurred 15 days after 19-year-old Carmela Cabañog was shot dead in a jeepney robbery on Highway Tagonol in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City.
Cabañog’s death has prompted Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Silverio Alarcio Jr. to review the effectiveness of increased police visibility in Metro Cebu.
Luma-ing and Cortez both hailed from Eastern Samar, in the towns of Guiuan and Borongan, respectively, while Montederamos came from Maasin City, Southern Leyte. The three all rented rooms in Barangay Parian.
Gayotin and Homicide Section Chief Erlando Metante ruled out the involvement of so-called vigilantes.
Policemen from the Parian Police Station, the Homicide Section and the Scene of the Crime Operations (Soco) 7 recovered seven empty shells of .45 pistol, one slug, one dud bullet and one fragment.
Card games
Information gathered by homicide investigators led by SPO2 Zenaido Pastorfide Jr. revealed that the victims were enjoying card games outside the apartment, when a lone gunman arrived.
The gunman, described only as mestizo-looking, pumped at least seven bullets into the victims.
Lumaing was hit in the chest and back, while Cortez was wounded in the neck and back. Montederamos was hit in both thighs, his neck and below his right armpit.
A miscellaneous team from the Parian Police Station, led by Insp. Marcial Micarandayo, and barangay tanods loaded the three victims aboard their patrol car and rushed them to the Cebu City Medical Center.
Luma-ing, however, died on the way to the hospital, while Cortez died at the operating room past midnight.
Montederamos died past 4 a.m. yesterday.
The victims’ parents have been informed about the attack and are expected to arrive today from Leyte.
Blank wall
Gayotin, in a press conference, admitted the police force is “facing a blank wall” as to the killer’s identity and motives.
Among the angles they are looking into are that the crime was fraternity-related, or a case of mistaken identity.
Gayotin and Metante, though, said that information they gathered showed the three were not members of any fraternity.
Several residents said that the gunman boarded a waiting motorcycle at the corner of Isagani and España St., and headed toward D. Jakosalem St.
In an interview over radio dyLA, Parian Police Station Chief Ares explained his personnel immediately responded to the alarm. One indication, Ares said, was that they were the first to arrive at the crime scene and bring the victims to the city hospital.
