3 dead in Easter Sunday shootings

MANILA, Philippines — Three people were killed in separate shootings in Quezon City on Easter Sunday. 

Charlie Bugarin and Labert Urmaza, 31, were riding a motorcycle along the bridge of the Batasan-San Mateo Road in Barangay Batasan Hills when unidentified robbers, riding a blue car, blocked their path at around 11 a.m.

A witness said the victims tried to flee but assailants riding another motorcycle gave chase and shot them.

The motorcycle-riding assailants took a sling bag from one of the victims before speeding away along with the blue vehicle towards San Mateo, Rizal.

The victims died at the scene, where two bullets and five bullet casings were recovered by police.

In nearby Barangay Commonwealth, an unidentified man was shot dead along Kasunduan street at around 9:10 p.m.

A witness told police he saw the victim lying on the road after he heard a lone gunshot outside his house.

The victim was shot once in the nape. Police described him as between 35 and 45 years old, 5’7” tall with a slight build and had “Bebot” tattooed on his left forearm.

Recovered at the crime scene were a bullet casing, an ATM card and P150 in cash. 

3 more slain in Caloocan

Despite the deployment of more police officers in North Caloocan to curb the increase in shooting incidents, three persons were killed during the Holy Week break.

Rhodora Sabanol was shot by motorcycle-riding assailants outside her house – reportedly used as a drug den – in Barangay 176, said newly installed Caloocan chief of police Senior Superintendent Restituto Arcangel.

Barangay officials tagged Sabanol as a known drug pusher and may have been shot over her unpaid dues to her supplier, he added.

Sabanol’s live-in partner Domingo Saygo has gone missing and has yet to coordinate with the police about the incident, the police official said.

Also in Barangay 176, Henry Lozada was fixing the electric connection in his house, when an assailant barged in and shot him at close range on Saturday night.

The victim’s niece, who witnessed the attack, accused Regino Creencia Amogis Jr. of shooting Lozada over a personal feud. 

Police went to Amogis’ house on Sunday and arrested the suspect, who denied shooting the victim.

Edgar Constantino, who worked at a brewery, was shot as he was walking along the street in Barangay 165 by a motorcycle-riding assailant before dawn yesterday.

The shootings came about shortly after Arcangel took the helm of Senior Superintendent Jemar Modequillo, who was relieved last month supposedly due to the number of unsolved shootings in Caloocan, particularly in the northern part of the city. - With Marc Jayson Cayabyab