Businessman shot dead in Bataan

BALANGA CITY – Two unidentified motorcycle-riding armed men shot dead a  businessman in broad daylight while  attending to his  customers in his junk yard bodega in the upland village of  Bilolo, Orion town, this province, Sunday.

Senior Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, Bataan police director, identified the fatality as Antonio Reyes Jr., 42, a junkshop owner, who was reportedly shot at close range by two motorcycle gunmen riding in tandem armed with .45 caliber automatic pistol on the head and different parts of the body.

The suspects pretended looking for the victim for a business deal when they saw that Reyes was talking with some customers at about 11: 45 a.m. They pulled out their handguns and shot the victim.

The gunmen hurriedly boarded the motorcycle and fled toward the hilly section of Mount Samat in Pilar town when Reyes fell down  and seeing neighbors  of the victim coming  out to help him.

The victim was brought to St. Michael Hospital, a privately-run hospital in Orion, about five kilometers away from the crime scene, however, the attending physician pronounced him dead on arrival.

Police investigators are still evaluating the motives of the shooting including business rivalry or personal grudge.

On July 1, the head of the General Services Office (GSO) of Limay municipal government was also killed in ambush by ski-wearing motorcycle-riding gunmen while on his way home aboard his Mitsubishi Galant car after checking  night deployment of security men in public schools.

Froilan Francisco, 57, sustained fatal gunshot wounds in the chest and head and died on the spot.

Police authorities have ordered the strict implementation of the laws on motorcycle riding public to prevent the commission of criminal activities in the province.                           – Raffy Viray