City market chief survives ambush

Cebu City Bantay Dagat project director Elpidio "Jojo" de la Victoria survived an attempt on his life by a lone gunman yesterday afternoon just outside his residence in sitio Dawis, barangay San Roque, Talisay City.

De la Victoria was already in stable condition, but doctors were still attending to him at the operating Chong Hua Hospital as of presstime last night. He sustained injuries on some internal organs like his pancreas and his left kidney, which were hit by the bullet.

De la Victoria sustained three gunshot wounds - one of his left thigh, on his right arm, and on his lower back where the bullet exited through his stomach.

De la Victoria's son, Vincent, said that his father had just arrived from the office on board a minivan, which serves as his assigned vehicle, when he heard gun bursts. The next thing he heard was his father calling for help.

Vincent said that his father ran towards their kitchen already wounded.

The younger de la Victoria said that his father have been receiving several death threats but took it very lightly.

The most recent of these threats was made public just a few days ago.

Witnesses said that the gunman fired several shots. The Talisay City Police were able to recover six empty cal. 45 shells from the scene of the crime.

Reward Offer

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña who rushed to the Chong Hua Hospital with other city officials upon learning of the incident, offered a P200,000 reward to anybody who can provide information that would lead to the arrest of the assailant.

The police also held at least three taxi drivers and brought them to the hospital for identification by the witnesses.

One of those held was Roberto Goc-ong, of ROC taxi, who said that the suspect boarded his taxi at 3:00 p.m. yesterday near the house of de la Victoria.

Goc-ong said the suspect was wearing a brown polo, maong shorts, and a fatigue cap.

He added that the suspect disembarked near the St. Joseph Church in barangay Tabunok and then boarded a tricycle.

Police Operation

While the Talisay City police could not yet say what was the motive of the killing and are undertaking a manhunt operation, Supt. Mariano Natuel, head of the Security Service Group of the Cebu City Police, believes it was work related.

Natuel also went to Chong Hua hospital upon learning of the incident.

He said that one angle which the police have to look into is controversy in the closure of the Visayan Marine Triangle.

Natuel said that just last week during a talks with de la Victoria, the Bantay Dagat official mentioned about the threats that he have been receiving lately. The police officer said that he offered de la Victoria a police security detail, which was declined.

De la Victoria reportedly told Natuel that he would leave everything to Divine Providence.

Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama, chairman of the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council, said that the city will shoulder the hospitalization bill of dela Victoria considering that he is an active employee of the government.

Probable Motive

De la Victoria, who holds two positions in the city government as market administrator and Bantay Dagat Commissioner, has been in the service of the city government for more than 10 years starting during the term of then mayor Alvin Garcia. He is also the president of National Association of Fish Wardens.

Two days prior to the incident, dela Victoria admitted that he and lawyer Antonio Oposa have been warned by some of their friends to be extra careful as there are many who are angry at them for intervening in commercial fishing.

De la Victoria, in an earlier interview with reporters, said that he have received information from a friend that there has been a P 1 million bounty out for the person who could assassinate them.

Dela Victoria said that he had received the said information two weeks ago, a month after the signing of the petition to close the Visayan Marine Triangle from commercial and destructive forms of fishing.

Oposa, on the other hand, said that those who are greatly affected by their intensive campaign against illegal fishing could be behind the shooting of dela Victoria.

" Kining among naligsan og naigo aning among kampanya ni Jojo ang akong gidudahan nga nagbuhat ani," he said.

Oposa said that he had already sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The planned closure of the Visayan Sea is an offshoot of the study done by the University of the Philippines stating that the Visayan Sea is considered an overfished area.

Local Chief Executives have signed a petition addressed to the Bureau of |Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to close the Visayan Marine Triangle to commercial and destructive forms of fishing.

The closure has gained support from some operators after seeing that it brought a positive effect to the marine biodiversity of the Visayan Marine Triangle.

The Visayan Sea Squadron's mission is to conserve, protect, and restore the Visayan Sea. Teams of volunteers will assess the level of compliance and enforcement of environmental laws within the country as well as try to gauge existing facilities and identify opportunities for intervention. - Liv G. Campo, Flor Z.Perolina, Garry B. Lao, JasminUy and Fred Languido