Road rage: VSU bus driver shot dead

ALBUERA, LEYTE, Philippines - — A longtime driver of a service minibus of the Visayas State University in Baybay City of Leyte was gunned down last Tuesday by two men right inside the vehicle in full view of the stunned passengers, most of whom were students of the university.

The victim was identified as Restituto Soria Jr., 55, married and a resident of Baybay City, and the two still unidentified gunmen were reportedly irked when the minibus overtook their vehicle along the highway.

The gunmen, who were on a black Nissan Navarra with no plates, chased and cut through to stop the bus at Barangay Cambalading of this town. They then boarded the bus, pointed their guns at Soria while expressing their outrage on why he overtook them, and then shot him dead on the spot.

Senior Inspector Martin Padenas, Albuera police chief, said passengers of the bus narrated that the minibus overtook the gunmen's vehicle along the highway somewhere at Barangay Caridad in Baybay City, and what followed was that the Navarra gave chase to the bus up to Cambalading.

When the gunmen went up the bus, the witnesses said they immediately asked the driver why he overtook them, to which the victim retorted that they were the first to overtake them.

The police, while looking at other angles on the motive of the killing, have withheld the names of the witnesses for protection.

Residents near the scene also observed the road rage incident highlighted the failure of the implementation of the "new license plates system." Many cars, some as old as two years, still have "for registration" plates, they commented.  (FREEMAN)