4 killed in 2 shooting incidents in Talisay

CEBU CITY—A barangay councilor and three inmates were killed in two separate shooting incidents that took place hours apart in Talisay City, Cebu Friday morning.

In the first incident at the South Coastal Road in Barangay Cansojong, 23-year-old Art Stephen Bas was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assailants.

Bas was a councilor in Barangay Lagtang in Talisay and was a graduating mechanical engineering student at the Cebu Institute of TechnologyUniversity (CIT-U).

He was driving a white Ford Everest to school when he was attacked around 8:45 a.m.

Talisay police said Bas’ car was caught in slow-moving traffic when it was boxed in by two motorcycles.

The backriders then started firing at Bas’s car.

Witnesses said the backrider of the motorcycle at the right side of the vehicle got off, opened the front door and finished off Bas with several more shots.

Police had not determined the motive for the attack.

The victim’s younger brother Arthur said Art Stephen had no known enemies in their place and did not receive any threats prior to the attack.

The victim was the grandson of incumbent Talisay Councilor Arturo Bas. He was the son of former Lagtang barangay captain Mark Ferdinand Bas, who was arrested last April 15 after assorted firearms were seized from his house during a police raid.

While police were investigating the killing in Cansojong, three inmates were killed in Barangay Linao while on their way to their arraignment.

The inmates were identified as Yayam Gaviola, Marwin Abelgas and Labadon Jovencio.

Gaviola and Abelgas were jailed on drug charges, and Jovencio for frustrated murder. The three were detained at the Maghaway Jail.

The inmates were riding a jail vehicle together with two personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

A few meters from the jail, their vehicle stopped because were two men were lying in the middle of the street, pretending that the motorcycle they were riding had crashed.

When the jail vehicle stopped, the two men got up and walked two towards the inmates. At least six motorcycles each with two men riders appeared and started shooting at the inmates.

The gunmen fled after the attack, sparing the inmates’ escorts.

The inmates were brought to the hospital where they were declared dead.