2 passengers slain while sleeping in bus

MANILA, Philippines — Two passengers were shot dead in a bus in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija on Wednesday.

Gloria Quillano, 60, a resident of Cauayan City, Isabela, and her partner Arman Bautista, 55, a native of Koronadal City, South Cotabato, were sleeping in the front seats of the bus when two unidentified men who emerged from the back seats shot them in the head and neck several times.

The gunmen ordered the driver to pull over. They then got off the bus and fled.

The shooting, which went viral on social media, was captured by the dashcam installed in the bus.

The bus driver immediately reported the incident to a police station in Barangay Joson.

Nueva Ecija police director Col. Richard Caballero said Bautista reportedly owned a bakery while Quillano was engaged in real estate and agricultural businesses.

Caballero said his office is coordinating with the police in Cauayan, Isabela, where the victims boarded the bus, and Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya where the suspects got in, to gather more information.

”We assure the public that every effort is being made to bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms,” the Caranglan police police said in a statement.

Philippine National Police public information chief Col. Jean Fajardo said probers are looking into a conflict between Quillano and her son, who is facing charges for carjacking.

The woman had been receiving threats, according to her family members.

The police urged those with information related to the incident to help in identifying the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, in Sultan Kudarat, a school principal was killed in a gun attack in Lambayong town.

Hermielex Kapusan of the Tukanakuden Elementary School in Sultan sa Barongis was on his motorcycle on his way to Purok Rang-in, Barangay Poblacion in Lambayong when unidentified men flagged him down on a secluded stretch of the highway in Purok Pag-asa in Barangay Tinumigues and shot him several times.

The relatives of the victim said the incident may be related to the recently concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataang elections.

An investigation is ongoing. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Ric Sapnu, Artemio Dumlao, John Unson