Police eye intimidation:Men open fire at showroom

CEBU, Philippines —  A car display center in Mandaue City owned by Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils President Franklyn Ong was peppered with bullets early dawn Saturday.

According to the police, the assailants arrived in the area in a white van and a motorcycle and sped away immediately after firing shots.

Investigators found 11 bullets holes at the showroom.

Mandaue Police Director Julian Entoma said the assailants used a .45 pistol and a 9mm pistol.

Footage from a closed circuit television camera showed that two men in the van opened fire while the man on board the motorcycle acted as a lookout.

Entoma said it appeared that that the attack was meant only to sow fear because the perpetrators did not hurt the security guard.

In fact, no one was hurt during the attack.

“Gago ra nga tao ang nagbuhat ani. Gusto lang siya nga magkagubot ang Mandaue kay di man taga-Mandaue ang tag-iya ani (The suspect may just be crazy and just wanted to cause confusion in Mandaue because the owner of the showroom is not a resident here),” Entoma said.

He said politics may not be the motive because Ong is not running in the elections. Besides, he said, if Ong was the target, the men would not have gone to his showroom instead.

He said they are looking into the possibility that the showroom’s manager may be the target of the attack.

Asked what he thinks the motive is, Ong told The Freeman, “your guess is as good as mine.”

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he received information that the attackers fired 12 rounds and the vehicles did not have plate numbers.

“This is just intimidation. Fortunately no one was hurt,” Osmeña wrote on Facebook.

He also encouraged the public to report to him information they may get about the attack.

Ong belongs to Osmeña’s group, the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan.  —  JMO (FREEMAN)