Son believed to be target, Naga City ambush leaves woman dead

CEBU, Philippines - A woman died while her son evaded the attack of three men who ambushed them along Barangay Pandan, Naga City at 6 am yesterday.

Margarita Capablanca died immediately due to 12 gunshot wounds in her nape and the different parts of the body.

PO1 Nilo Daclis of Naga City Police Station said that Capablanca’s son, Joel, 33, was supposed to be the target of the shooting but. He was able to evade the attack and survived unscathed.

Daclis said that the victims, who are residents of the area, were on their way to attend a court hearing at the Provincial Capitol here in Cebu City when the assailants attacked them.

The victims were boarding a bus bound for Cebu City at 6 am yesterday when the three men riding on a blue XRM motorcycle with no plate number appeared.

The man who rode in the middle of the motorcycle pulled out a gun and aimed it at Joel but the latter was quick to run back to their house and hide.

“Nakalihay man siya sa ang mama na lang ang gipusil, (He was able to dodge so the suspect shot his mother instead)”, Daclis said.

Two of the three men reportedly shot Margarita who died on the spot while the suspects sped off.

Empty shells of caliber .45 and 9mm were recovered from the crime scene.

Daclis said the assailants didn’t bother concealing their faces, prompting them to believe that they are not residents of the area and could be guns-for-hire.

The police investigator said they are eyeing revenge as the most possible motive behind the attack.

The Capablancas were supposedly on their way to attend a court hearing for an attempted murder case they filed against one Reynaldo Hernani. Daclis said they are looking into the possibility that the case is related to the shooting as the respondent may have hired the assailants to kill the younger Capablanca.

Daclis further said that sometime in January, Joel and his brother mauled Hernani.

Hernani then shot Joel who suffered a graze wound on his shoulder.

Joel filed an attempted murder case against Hernani who was able to post bail and was no longer found since then.

Daclis said they will invite Joel through the course of the investigation to come up with a face sketch of the assailants.

Meanwhile, police in Carcar City are conducting house-to-house interviews in Barangay Guadalupe to gain leads on the identity of the culprit behind the shooting to death of an octogenarian couple.

PO2 Rosendo Binondo, of Carcar City Police Station, said a neighbor could have seen the last and first persons who were present right before and after the couple Renerio Neri, 83, and Dolores, 82, were found dead.

Binondo further said they are still looking into robbery or land dispute as the most possible motive behind the incident.

Results of the autopsy conducted by PNP medico-legal officer Dr. Nestor Sator showed that Renerio sustained two gunshot wounds in the chest while Dolores, was also shot once in the chest.

The couple was believed to have died two days prior to the discovery of their bodies.

The couple, who allegedly owned parcels of land in Carcar City and Alcoy town, was found dead inside their room at 4 pm last Sunday. –(FREEMAN)