8 wounded in provincial bus strafing
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Heavily armed men sprayed with automatic gunfire a provincial bus coming from this city and bound for Pagadian City shortly before midnight on Valentine’s Day, wounding at least eight passengers.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director for Zamboanga Peninsula Chief Supt. Billy Beltran said about five men, all armed with M-16 Armalite rifles, attacked a Rural Transit Bus, with body number 9554, along the Maria Clara Lobregat highway boundary of Barangay Buenavista and Barangay Muti in this city.
Beltran said the bus was driven by Seledonio Sugabo. The bus left this city about 11 p.m. February 14, and was bound for Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur with 34 passengers on board.
At least eight of the passengers were wounded and were identified as Noel Lopez 45, John Baynosa 36, Jaman Alam 53, Ednalia Gilla 20, Raniel Abeng 22, Christpher Cagan 27, George Elnas 35 and Genevie Lopez 35.
They are now confined at the Zamboanga Medical Center in Zamboanga City.
Beltran said policemen from the Curuan Police station backed by elements of Task Force Zamboanga immediately responded to the incident, but failed to catch the suspects who immediately fled under the cover of darkness.