5 men holdup buses in spree; woman slain

BY DEXTER A SEE

BUGUIAS, Benguet -- The identity of five heavily armed men who held up two Baguio-bound buses at the boundary of Tinoc, Ifugao, and Buguias late afternoon on June 16 is still being established, police said.

A woman bus passenger was killed when she was shot by one of the men during the incident.

Supt. Joseph Adnol, spokesman of the regional police office had identified the dead victim as Mary Payan Mangibin, 45, married, native of Tinoc, Ifugao.

She reportedly suffered a bullet wound in the stomach that caused her instant death.

Initial investigation showed five bonnet-wearing armed men flagged down the Baguio-bound Ron Ron bus with license plate number TGN252 at about 2:20 p.m. on June 16 and announced a holdup.

After the cash, jewelry, cell phones and other valuables of the passengers, one of the holdup men fired a shot at where Mangibin was seated, hitting her in the stomach.

Later, the armed men flagged down a Blooming Miles bus which was also en route to Baguio City from Tinoc, Ifugao and took away the cash and valuables of the passengers.

Adnol said the still unidentified robbers were armed with four handguns and one shotgun.

Passers-by immediately reported the incident to the Tinoc and Buguias police stations. Others rushed the shooting victim to the Lutheran Hospital in Buguias, Benguet where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, a truck driver was killed and his three passengers were seriously injure when the truck they were riding in lost its brakes and rammed a concrete marker and a mahogany tree on the Abra-Ilocos Sur road in Tangngadan, Bangued, Abra over the weekend.

Senior Supt. Alexander Pumecha, director of the Abra Police office, identified the victim as Benjamin Custona, 39, married, truck dirver, and native of Bato, Naguilan, La Union.