BAGUIO CITY – Two bombing incidents in heavily populated areas rocked this city last week alarming residents on the rising spate of daring crimes.
Two culprits who allegedly lobbed two fragmentation grenades on a village here a few meters from the City Hall and Justice Hall midnight May 10 were arrested and are now in jail.
Biboy Pascua who was sleeping at his house at Labsan St., was almost killed by the blast, said his mother Lolita Corpus Pascua who said it was the second grenade lobbed at his son’s house that night.
She said the first did not explode, who said a long-standing family feud over real estate properties fueled the grenade throwing. “Matagal na kaming hina-harass para umalis kami dito,” she said.
City explosives and ordnance experts said the explosive was a M67 fragmentation grenade that damaged the roof of the younger Pascua, and sent deadly shrapnel to his mother’s house beside his.
Eyewitnesses have pointed at two suspects who almost killed Biboy who is now recuperating at the hospital.
City police officer-in-charge Supt. Florante Camuyot said the suspects are now in their custody but didn’t name them while cases are being readied.
This, as a relative of the blast victim was ambushed and nearly killed Wednesday morning.
The latest shooting incident could trigger a series of incidents involving individuals from both parties if the authorities fail to take control over the brewing situation in Labsan Street, Kayang Extension.
Chief Supt. Orlando Pestano, regional police director, identified the latest victim of the family feud as Wilbert Pascua Munar, 25, single, a nephew of earlier grenade blast victim Benigno Corpus Pascua, who hails from Sto. Tomas, La Union and resides at No. 34 Labsan Street, Kayang Extension.
Initial investigation showed the victim was walking with three companions near the Dona Josefa Cariño Elementary School at the back of the Baguio Justice Hall around
1:50 a.m. when his still unidentified assailant approached him from behind.
Earlier, another explosion rocked this city after a grenade went off in the garage of a Christian worship center at Suello Village, Marcos Highway at about 2:45 a.m., Tuesday, police said.
No one was reported hurt in the explosion, but two vehicles parked in the garage were heavily damaged.
Pestano said the grenade exploded at the Jubilee and Jesus Fellowship Center owned by Marlou Edward Gesel, 51, married.
Initial investigation showed that the son of Gesel heard an explosion, which originated from the garage. He and his father then immediately reported the matter to the police.
Investigators of the Baguio City Police Office found a safety lever and metallic fragments of a hand grenade at the scene.
Camuyot said he was alarmed how fragmentation grenades are turning into the hands of civilians. “We are now tracking down where these grenades came from.”
Last month, two young college students died at the hospital a few days after “drive-by” suspects lobbed an MK2 fragmentation grenade against their group just below SM Baguio at Upper Session Road.
In November 2008, another MK2 grenade was lobbed by a supposed street gangster inside a computer shop in front of the Saint Louis University hurting 12 young students. – With reports from Dexter A. See
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