Trader ambushed

CEBU, Philippines - A businessman and his daughter were wounded after they were shot  inside  their car by two unidentified men in Happy Valley Road, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, yesterday morning.

Jonathan Emmanuel Go, 38, and Joan Emmanuelle, 7,  suffered gunshot wounds as a result of the attack that happened as they were heading to school.

Cebu City Police Office Homicide Investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Ruth Violango said that the attack was recorded by a CCTV camera installed in one of the houses inside the compound. 

The footage showed that at 7:16 a.m. when the vehicle, a red Toyota Vios with license plate numbers JOU-721, just left the gate, two men waiting nearby suddenly opened fire before running off. There was also another unidentified waiting on a motorcycle used by the two gunmen to escape.

The police recovered a slug inside the victim’s car. There were three bullet holes in the driver’s side windshield and one in the front passenger’s side windshield.

The vehicle has been turned over to the Scene of the Crime Operations for further investigation.

Go, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, is now confined in a hospital. His daughter, who was shot in her right arm, is now out of danger.

Violango said they are eyeing business as a possible reason behind the attack. Go is engaged in buying-and-selling automobile spare parts. He used to work for a cousin’s spare parts business before leaving to establish his own last year.

She said based on the CCTV footage, the assailants didn’t appear to be professionals. Witnesses also said both appeared to be in their 30s.

Personal security

As a result of the incident, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama urged all the businessmen in Cebu City to always have security personnel to safeguard them. Rama said businessmen should not put their trust entirely on authorities but make security measures of their own.

He said the number of the police personnel in the city is not enough to protect all the Cebuanos, adding that the city needs 2,000 police personnel but only has only less than 1,500.

Rama said he has received threats in relation to his job as a politician.

“I’m the target. Part na sa akong trabaho gyud. No matter how small the person they can always have the motive in their mind,” Rama said.

He also added there is a need to put many CCTV cameras within the city.

“Ang pinakaimportante augment CCTV. Daghanon gyud ang CCTV aron nga ini’g abot kun naa’y mga crime naa’y mga footages,” he said.

Early this year, Counci-lor Dave Tumulak of Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council discussed with barangay officials the importance of the CCTV cameras.

When Rama was asked if the city government has a plan to make legislation on motorcycles, considering that they are being used as getaway vehicles in many crimes, he said it is impossible for the city government to stop them.

“It’s just so difficult to stop motorcycles. That’s so impossible. Crimes are being promoted by men riding on motorcycles but we would rather be smarter than them, highly technically equipped than them,” he said.  — with Mechelle P. Florita/BRP