Waray-Ilongo gang war eyed in Parian shooting

Investigation in the killing of two college students and a Customs worker at barangay Parian Wednesday evening has reached a point indicating that a gang war-possibly between Warays and Ilongos-could have instigated the shooting.

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch chief, Supt. Pablo Labra, yesterday disclosed that a member of the Leyte-Samar group, of which the three victims allegedly belonged, came to his office and volunteered information on the case that would help investigators.

Labra said this LeySam group member narrated about another gang that his group encountered a few days before the shooting.

Another Leyte-Samar native residing in Parian also told The Freeman that, months ago, the group of the victims met and got into a fight with members of the other group, right in front of the place where the shooting happened the other night.

Talks about that fight just died afterwards but lately, he heard the LeySam group had rented a vehicle supposedly to be used for taking revenge against this other gang that he himself could not identify with certainty at this time.

Investigators, led by SPO3 Zenaido Pastorfide, found it difficult to link the available data they have to the motive in the shooting because raw information gathered around the crime scene were not clear.

It was until this informant, claiming to be member of the LeySam group, went to Labra and opened this gang war story behind the killing at Parian. He told Labra that his group has been engaged in a clandestine war against the group of Ilongos in the city.

Police records however showed no such records of fights between these two groups of students in Cebu. The only data on this is that this regional gang war has been between Leyte-Samarnon (Waray) speaking students from Region 8 and the Ilongo speaking students from Region 6.

With this development Labra said, "Our evidences and information obtained strongly point to a gang war but we could not set aside the possibility nga dunay problema sa usa kanila nga nagtrabaho sa Customs."

This gang war story started in their home provinces resulting in the deaths of their respective members, and this hostility spread out to Cebu City where these member-students are studying, said Labra.

Since the day after the shooting, The Freeman learned that some Waray speaking occupants in the apartment block, where the killing took place, have quietly left their rented apartments and moved to other places reportedly for fear of their lives. Labra and his men also confirmed this.

City Police acting director, Supt. Melvin Gayotin, had ordered Parian Police station head, Supt. Glen Ares, to submit an incident report and on how they responded to the shooting near the station itself.

Parian policemen, led by Insp. Marcial Carandayao, were the ones who took the victims to the Cebu City Medical Center.

A lone witness who was about ten meters from the place where the shooting took place said he saw the gunman's face, which he described as mestizo and had a long hair.

Homicide chief, Insp. Erlando Metante, also told The Freeman that a sketch of the identity of the gunman is already available but this could not be released to the media yet lest the investigation and manhunt would be jeopardized.

The fatalities were Earl Rodrigo Lumaing, 23, a student of the University of Southern Philippines from Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Miles Oliver Cortez, 16, a student of University of Cebu from Borongan, Eastern Samar; and Millard Montederamos, 22, a worker of the Bureau of Customs from Maasin City, Southern Leyte.

All three were residents in separate streets in Parian and gathered outside the front unit of the apartment building at the corner of Isagani and Ibarra Streets where they played trick cards when a lone assailant came by, shot them several times, and casually left the place.

Residents of Simuon Street said two men on a motorcycle earlier stopped by the roadside. They saw the man riding on the back alighted and walked toward the corner of Ibarra Street where the apartment was located.

Moments later, sounds of gunfire broke out. Then the man returned to the waiting motorcycle and the two sped off toward Jakosalem Street.

Police however could not yet ascertain if the two could be involved in the shooting or that the backrider was the one who shot the victims. - Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE