Ex-military man shot in Balamban

CEBU, Philippines - A former soldier of the 78th Infantry Battalion is in critical condition after he was shot point blank by a gate crasher during a celebration in Sitio Tubod, Barangay Pondol, Balamban Monday morning.

Andres Nabio, 46, of Barangay Baliwagan and an active member of the Barangay Intelligence Network, is still being treated after a bullet hit the left side of his neck and exited on the other side.

His friends took him to the Balamban District Hospital but he was later referred to the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.

Now subject of a manhunt operation is Cristobal Abendan, 23, of Barangay Pondol. He was identified as the culprit by some visitors at the celebration that the victim had attended.

Senior Police Officer 1 Julius Obañana said that Emerita Combista reportedly invited Nabio as one of their guests for the christening of her child and at the same time blessing of their new house in Barangay Pondol on Sunday evening.

Nabio and some of his friends were drinking and singing within the vicinity of the house.

Obañana said that Nabio was singing when Abendan walked directly towards the victim and shot him. 

Police recovered a slug of .38 revolver and the victim’s pair of blood-stained eyeglasses.

Obañana suspected that grudge could be the motive of the crime because police conducted consecutive raids near the house of the suspect. Abendan possibly thought that Nabio was an informant of the police.

However, they are still investigating if Abendan is either a drug user or a drug pusher.

 “Basin lang nagtuo siya mao ni musumbong kay sige man ang dakop diha, dili pud ra ba ni sila kabarangay,” Obañana said. –(FREEMAN)