MANDAUE STRAFING MEANT TO INTIMIDATE, NOT KILL: POLICE, TOMAS
Car showroom of BOPK ally shot at by still unidentified persons; no one hurt CCTV footage shows gunmen inside a white van with a motorbike tailing them
POLICE believe the strafing of the Chevrolet showroom owned by Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong is only meant to intimidate the ex-officio city councilor.
At 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 5, unidentified assailants on board a white van shot at Ong’s showroom in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia, Mandaue City.
Ong, who is also the village chief of Barangay Kasambagan in Cebu City, is allied with the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) led by Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
“There was no intent to kill. Maybe the assailants were enemies of the manager or owner and just wanted to send a message,” said Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Mandaue City Police Office director, in a text message to SunStar Cebu last Saturday.
A closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident posted by Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention chief Garry Lao on Facebook shows a white van followed by a motorcycle stopping in front of Ong’s showroom. A few minutes later, the vehicles left the scene in a hurry
Another CCTV footage from inside the showroom shows the door of the van opening and then the establishment’s glass doors and wall cracking.
The assailants were seen fleeing toward the north.
Investigators recovered empty shells from a .45 pistol outside the showroom. The showroom had 11 bullet holes.
If the shooters really meant any harm, they would have shot the showroom’s security guard who was nearby, said Police Major Aldrin Villacampa, Centro Police Station chief.
He said they would check security cameras in the vicinity to see if they could get a closer look at the two vehicles and their passengers.
Police are coordinating with Ong to determine if he has received any threats to his life.
Meanwhile, Osmeña agreed that the incident was only meant to intimidate his ally.
In a Facebook post, the mayor asked the public to contact him for any information on the matter.
“Fortunately no one was hurt. But if you have any information, please text me at 0917 329 9999,” he said. / RVC, FMD OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / JKV
Police have yet to determine if the incident last Saturday, May 4, is connected to strafing incidents involving BOPK allies in three Cebu City mountain barangays last month.