Alleged robber mauled, shot by bystanders

CEBU, Philippines - A man suspected to have robbed a male passenger of a public utility jeepney was reportedly shot by a concerned bystander the other night along Natalio Bacalso Avenue.

Confined now at the Cebu City Medical Center is one Bobby Faunillan, 24, a resident of Tagunol, barangay Cogon-Pardo, this city. Faunillan sustained a gunshot wound to the right arm after he was shot using a still undetermined caliber. 

Faunillan’s companion identified as Zenon Comission Jr., 25, a resident of Tabucanal, Pardo escaped from an angry mob who noticed that they were victimizing another person in sitio San Roque, Mambaling.

“Mga estambay na man ang mitabang ani (Faunillan), ang mikulata; pero kadtong mipusil, wa gyod mailhig kinsa. Basin usa sa mga sibilyan ra,” a barangay tanod said.

Benjie Niere, 20, a resident of El Pardo in Boljoon town positively identified Faunillan as one of two robbers who announced a holdup last Monday evening at around 10 o’clock.

Niere said that he boarded a 10F PUJ plying Colon-Pardo when Faunillan and Comission held him up and took away his mobile phone while they were somewhere in Mambaling.

“Gisumbag pa man gani ko sa usa sa mga tulisan,” Niere claimed.

The robbers then victimized another person in San Roque, but bystanders noticed them.

“Mao siguro to nga nakulatahan sila sa mga estambay kay nasakpan man sila,” said Niere who immediately sought assistance from the Mambaling Police that eventually led to the arrest of Faunillan.

Meanwhile, a 67-year-old farmer was shot dead while sleeping at the house of his friend in barangay Libo-o, municipality of Ronda Sunday night.

Ronda Police operative Josephus Paunillan identified the victim as Alfredo Bautista, a farmer.

Bautista sustained gunshot wounds to his back, head, and face.

He was shot inside the house of his friend, Cristituto Labutin, while sleeping.

Before the incident happened, Bautista visited Labutin, a neighbor, past 9 p.m. While there, he lied on the bamboo floor and dozed off.

Minutes later, he was shot there several times by the perpetrators who positioned themselves below Labutin’s house.

According to the witnesses, they heard several gun bursts and later found out that Bautista got injured.

Responding policemen recovered several empty shells and fragments of a .45 pistol, .9mm pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun.

Paunillan said that they are hoping Labutin would be able to describe the physical features of the assailants considering that it was reportedly very dim when the incident occurred. – Ramil V. Ayuman and Gabriel C. Bonjoc/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)