By Angeline Valencia
Bohol Chronicle
Bloody Monday at the start of Christmas week drove off police focus but all on a blank wall with crimes from break of dawn 'til night.
The three stand-out incidents included the death of an employee of the municipal government of Tubigon from gunshot at 12:25 a.m., the shooting of the brother of a lifestyle editor in Mansasa District early morning, and the attempted rape, hold-up and stabbing of a 19-year-old female student of Holy Name University at 7:40 p.m..
The shooting incidents left the police groping for any lead, while the assault on a young woman reached the end of the city police already solved.
A 19-year-old female student of HNU, took the secluded short-cut to a decor shop in purok 6 at Capitol Valley where she works part-time on Christmas vacation at 7:40 p.m. when a drunk man attacked her from behind and declared hold-up, then grabbed her in the neck, pushed her to the ground and stabbed her with a knife as he tried to rape her.
A passer-by, Rolando Remedios, heard a moan of mixed pain and call for help, but saw no one.
Upon sensing the presence of Remedios, the suspect-Jomar Bucio-hurriedly left, but caught the attention of Remedios.
Remedios glanced back upon noticing somebody running and saw the victim crying for help. So he chased the suspect and the purok tanods joined him.
The purok tanods then turned over Bucio to the police for investigation. It was learned that the 21-year-old suspect, single, is a native of sitio Sta. Cruz, barangay Canawa, Candijay, but is now residing at Capitol Valley.
Remedios brought the victim to Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital and reported the incident to the city police station at around 8:20 p.m. after she was given first-aid.
The victim sustained ten stab wounds and bruises in the arms and face. It is also believed that the suspect hit her in the head with a rock.
Morgia's mother, who was in their home in barangay Caluasan, municipality of San Miguel that time, came over at around 1 a.m. yesterday after she was informed of the incident.
The victim's family will be filing charges against the suspect soon.
On the other hand, the city police force has launched a discreet manhunt on motorcycle-riding armed men who shot the 29-year-old brother of a lifestyle editor and former publicist of a politician past 7 a.m. Monday at Mansasa District.
SPO4 David Niluag, chief of the city crime investigation section, said they are still consolidating the statements of witnesses to determine the exact identities of the suspects and the possible motive.
A city official hinted that an in-depth investigation on the incident might lead to a past issue involving the victim.
The victim, Manuel Fegeraldo de Erio, sustained gunshot wounds in left side portion of the ribs and right portion of the stomach.
The victim's father, Manuel, immediately rushed him to Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital where the medical team directed them to the operating room.
His vital signs stabilized by 1:30 p.m. but still had to remain at the operating room for the stitches on his wounds.
The victim is the younger brother of Manuel Ferdinand "D-Erst" de Erio, a lifestyle editor of a local paper here and a former publicist of a politician.
Witnesses said the victim was having a conversation with a friend, Randy Cimafranca, some 100 meters from their house when two men with their faces wrapped with cloth passed by on board a motorcycle, the back-rider of which fired at them thrice while mobile.
Cimafranca, D-Erst's classmate in elementary, was hit by shrapnel in the lower leg but no longer bothered to seek medical attention. He was waiting for the garbage truck while having small talk with the victim.
Cimafranca, 30, works at Villa Alzhun Tourist Inn and Restaurant.
Some witnesses said they heard three bursts of gunfire, others said they heard only two.
Responding policemen, led by PO2 Silvan Palacio of the city police, recovered two empty shells and one slug of .9mm.
D Erst said he leaves everything to the police, as he avoids wrongly implicating people, even as he is facing a libel case and has joined a group that pursues an investigation on a political personality.
Meanwhile, at 12:25 a.m. of the same day, another motorcycle-riding criminal shot dead a 43-year-old employee of the municipal government of Tubigon.
Spot report from Tubigon police station had it that the victim, Jose Edarbel Paraguya, was riding a motorcycle (Suzuki Raider model) driven by one Renante Lamanilao on their way home to barangay Ilijan Norte from the town's cockpit arena in barangay Cahayag.
While travelling on moderate speed along the national highway of barangay Guiwanon, in front of the residence of one Virgilio Claros, an unidentified man--travelling on a Honda Wave motorcycle at almost the same speed and to the same direction--shot Paraguya on the left cheek.
The bullet went through the lower right jaw, causing the Paraguya's instantaneous death.
The responding police team recovered an empty shell of .45 caliber from the crime scene.Tubigon police got Lamanilao's statement and continues to gather more information from people who knew Paraguya.(Angeline Valencia)
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