Ma dies in strafing

CEBU, Philippines - A woman died while her husband and children were spared when three suspects strafed their house in Barangay Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday dawn. Prima Aying, 42, a mother of five children died on the spot after a bullet hit her forehead when the armed men opened-fire at their house while they were sleeping at around 3:00 a.m.

However, the Aying family claimed to know the suspects who opened-fire at them because prior to the incident, one of the suspects was calling the name of Jerry Aying Sr.,the victim’s husband, and was asking him to come out.

“Nakaila gyud ko sa iyang tingog. Nakita pa gyud nako sila sa ilang pagpanibat, wa man sad lain ningbahad nako, siya ra man. (I really recognized his voice. I also saw them as they fled. Nobody else threatened me, except him),” Jerry Aying said.

He identified a certain Demetrio Malingin a.k.a. “Onyot” a distant relative from his father’s side. He said that Demetrio was responsible for killing his younger brother, Roy, November last year at Sitio Kasanta, Barangay Mactan, due to alleged drug-related differences.

He also identified a certain Jay Malingin, Demetrio’s cousin, and claimed that he saw Malingin and Demetrio with another unidentified man.

After the suspects left, they rushed Prima to the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital but she was pronounced dead by an attending physician.

Jerry said that during the strafing, he immediately crawled and sought cover near their concrete wall but his wife was awakened. He tried to stop her from leaving but seemingly scared, his wife ran towards the second floor and was hit in the head by a bullet and fell down.

He said that his wife got worried about their children who were sleeping on the second floor of their house and she wanted to check on them but she died instead.

His wife was an employee of Maitland Smith at the Mactan Export Processing Zone. They have five children, the youngest aged 14 and the eldest aged 22. Jerry’s eldest son expressed dismay at his father for being the one in trouble with his cousins or the suspects, which caused the death of their mother. Jerry also stands as the complainant of the murder case filed against Demetrio Malingin for killing his younger brother, thus, the suspect vowed to kill him and his family.

Malingin has been hiding since November last year after shooting Jerry’s brother, they don’t know the whereabouts of Demetrio’s wife and children. Responding policemen recovered 15 empty shells of a .45 caliber pistol and 6 slugs of the same caliber.

Police are still verifying the possibility that an old grudge and involvement in illegal drugs may be among the possible motives for the killing. Hot pursuit operations are being conducted to arrest the suspects.  (FREEMAN)