Trader, family survive attack

CEBU, Philippines - A businessman together with his family and a bodyguard cheated death after they were repeatedly shot at by unidentified men while on their way home to Barangay Labangon, Cebu City early morning yesterday.

The victims were on board their Toyota Fortuner with temporary license plates 7CV 954 when attacked past midnight. None of them were hit.

The victims were able to escape from the assailants and drove toward their house at M and E West City Homes Subdivision, Barangay Labangon.

Dr. Rico Medina, 57; his wife, Arlene, 56; his son, Benjie, 36; and their bodyguard, Allan Dake, 36, were on board the vehicle when the incident happened.

The Medinas are from Pagadian City. They own the Medina College in Ozamiz City and have six colleges in Mindanao.

The victims just came from the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino and were almost home when a white Toyota Vios with license plates that read "for registration" blocked their way.

Benjie, who was driving, tried to move back but stopped when another silver-colored Innova with license plates YJU-894 also blocked their way, trapping them in between.

The men on the Vios started firing at the Fortuner. Benjie floored the accelerator and rammed the car into the Vios then backpedaled to hit the Innova. He did it again and again until they had enough room to maneuver and escape.

"Iyang gibangga ang Vios unya bangga napud sa Innova sa luyo hangtod naka-eskapo sila," said SPO2 Jaime del Mar, of the Guadalupe Police Station.

Police would later find six bullet holes in the Fortuner; three in the front passenger door and three others in the windshield.

Abandoned

About four hours later, the vehicles believed to have been used by the assailants were found abandoned along Third Street, Happy Valley, Labangon.

A tricycle driver who happened to pass by the area noticed that both vehicles were damaged yet their engines were running, prompting him to check but. After he found no one he called the police.

Police found a .45 cal. pistol still loaded with bullets inside the Innova. Several receipts of a mini-mart and a gasoline station were also found.

Past 8 a.m., police also recovered another abandoned vehicle, this time a Toyota Grandia with license plates YEA-493, along F. Llamas St., Barangay Basak-San Nicolas.

Melben Gorgonio, 39, the owner of a kitchenette, said that she opened her store around 5 a.m. and saw the vehicle outside.

"Naanad nako nga naa'y mo-parking diha…nagtuo ko nga kuhaon ra pud na," she said.

But until 7:30 a.m. nobody had come to get the vehicle.

Gorgonio asked a security guard assigned nearby to check if there was anyone inside; the guard looked through the windshield and saw .45 cal. pistols.

The security guard then called SPO1 Arnold Bucayong of the Criminal Investigation and Detective Group who lived nearby. It was Bucayong who called the Scene of the Crime Operatives.

SOCO broke the windshield on the passenger seat to open the vehicle and recovered three .45 cal. pistols, three rounds, two magazines, handcuffs, packaging tape, bonnets and a taser.

Plan foiled

Cebu City Police Office director Sr. Supt. Mariano Natu-el Jr. suspected that the assailants planned to abduct Medina but the victims were able to escape.

"Possible nga kidnap ang tuyo o kaha tuyuon sa pagpatay pero naka-depensa man mao nga gipusil na lang," Natu-el said.

The police are now collating all the evidence. For the meantime they advised the victims to stay home.

"We advised them nga dili lang una pagawson sa balay for their safety," Natu-el said.

Aman Futures scam

Dr. Medina is one of the 38 people allegedly involved in the investment scam that victimized 15,000 people in the Visayas and Mindanao. Based on reports from The Philippine STAR, all 38 are on the watch list of the Bureau of Immigration.

Immigration Commissioner, Ricardo David Jr. has issued a "lookout" bulletin on the 38 persons upon the orders of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Those individuals are allegedly the executives of the Aman Futures Group Philippines, Inc., which is under investigation for collecting at least P12 billion from the hundreds of residents of Visayas and Mindanao, including government employees, government officials, soldiers and policemen.

In January, Aman Amalilio was arrested by Malaysian immigration authorities in Kota Kinabalu for possession of a fraudulent passport and ID.

Others accused now in government custody are Aman president Fernando Luna and his wife Nimfa Caballero-Luna; Aman incorporators Donna Coyme, Lelian Lim Gan, Wilanie Fuentes, Nazelle Rodriguez, Eduardo Lim and Lurix Lopez; and Aman employee Dhurwen Wenceslao.

All 38 individuals are facing charges for syndicated estafa at the Regional Trial Court in Pagadian City. — /BRP (FREEMAN)