Businesswoman dies in Barili rob

CEBU, Philippines - Three people, including the wife of a former town vice mayor, were killed in two separate robbery incidents in Cebu Province the other day.

The first fatality was identified as Gina Ponsica, wife of former Barili vice mayor Luisito Ponsica, who was also hurt in the incident.

The Barili police said that the couple were about to enter their residence in barangay Mantalongon of the said town in the southern part of Cebu when two masked men approached Gina and grabbed her handbag.

The coupled reportedly just came from Cebu City where they withdrew money. The Ponsicas are engaged in the copra business.

Gina reportedly resisted when her bag was grabbed and the robbers immediately shot her hitting her on the chest and abdomen.

Before fleeing with the bag, the robbers also shot Luisito, who was also hit on his abdomen, leg and hand.

Witnesses said that the robbers fled on board a motorcycle.

The couple was rushed to the South General Hospital in Naga, but Gina was declared dead on arrival.

Luisito was later transferred to the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital.

The Barili police recovered two empty caliber .45 shells and two empty 9 mm shells from the crime scene.

Chief Insp. Alexander Soledad, Barili police chief, in an interview over radio station dySS Super Radyo said that they believe that the motive of the crime was robbery.

The police officer said that the robbers obviously knew the movements of the victims.

“Pattern jud ni sila kay kahibaw man nga naa kwarta ang mga biktima,” Soledad said.

Soledad confirmed yesterday that Luisito, the former vice-mayor was already out of danger.

Sr. Supt. Jesus Gaquing, director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said that the robbery was most likely done by a group from Cebu.

He could not however say of they are from the town.

Two Dead in Bogo

In Bogo, an 84-year-old woman and her helper were found dead inside the victim’s house in A and B Subdivision barangay Cogon yesterday dawn.

The victims were identified as Beatriz Aguisanda Ocaba, a widow, and her helper Merlinda Gallardo Olmares, 49, married, and a resident of sitio Tipolo of the same barangay.

The bodies, which were found sprawled on the floor, were discovered by Linar and Emelgin Invento, who are residents of barangay Taytayan of the said place.

They couple went to the house of Ocaba because they were asked by relatives from the United States to check.

Those in the US were worried that there was something wrong as nobody would answer the phone at Ocaba’s house.

The couple immediately informed the police about the discovery.

The police said that the victims bore several stab wounds.

It was learned during the course of the investigation that the killers entered the house by removing some blades of the jalousie on the window at the back of the house.

 Taken from the house of the victim were P 20,000 cash and assorted jewelry.—/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)