Building contractor killed in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA DEL CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 27, 2010) – A building contractor was killed despite a strict gun ban being implemented by authorities in an attack in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

Engineer Joselito Yanga, also the vice president of the local contractors called “Los Contratista”, was heading home on a motorcycle late Tuesday when he was shot in the head in the village of Guiwan.

Police said it still investigating the murder. “Engineer Yanga was a good man and a happy person and we were shocked to learn that he was shot and killed,” said Engineer Raymon Go, a local building contractor.

At least 15 gun attacks have been recorded in Zamboanga City since early January and all these occurred just as the police and military are implementing a nationwide gun ban.

The Commission on Elections ordered a six-month nationwide gun ban beginning January 10 ahead of the May national and local polls to minimize political violence during the election campaign period.

Only duty policemen and soldiers and members of law enforcement agencies are authorized to bear arms provided they have permits from the Commission on Elections exempting them from the gun ban.

But the order also put at risk many local gun owners who are receiving death threats. Hired killers are actively operating in Zamboanga City and had been blamed for many murders the past years. (Mindanao Examiner)

McDonald manager in Zamboanga killed

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2009) – A Filipino manager of the US hamburger chain McDonald was shot dead in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Alvin John Sanchez, 28, was killed by one of two motorcycle gunmen while on his way home from work early this week. Sanchez was also on his motorcycle when he was attacked.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the murder, but killings in Zamboanga were not uncommon. Police said there had been more than two dozen cases of shooting incidents since last month and 13 of those had resulted to deaths.

Police blamed feuds and grudges as the motives for the murders and officials said the spate of killings were isolated cases. But most of these killings were carried out by paid assassins or guns-for-hire that operate in Zamboanga.

Just last week, four people were killed, including a village chieftain, in a broad daylight shooting in Zamboanga City’s Santa Cruz market. (Mindanao Examiner)

Presence of suspicious men scare traders, parents in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 04, 2009) – Suspicious persons have been spotted near a Catholic university and commercial buildings in downtown Zamboanga City, where a wave of kidnappings and failed abductions had been reported in recent months.

The men, who spoke in Tausug, a dialect widely used in Sulu province, had been noticed acting suspiciously the past weeks along Nunez Road near the back entrance of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, MP Towers and Filinvest buildings where a row of offices, stores and restaurants are situated.

Witnesses said the men, clad in jacket and wore hats and helmets, were using red and black motorcycles and frequenting the area in the morning and later in the afternoon.

In several occasions, witnesses claimed seeing black and grey vans with suspicious passengers, also speaking in Tausug dialect, near those establishments. Traffic policemen near the area were apparently unaware of the presence of the suspicious men.

Gunmen had kidnapped in Zamboanga City a bakery owner Eliseo Hablo and three government teachers– all kidnapped in Zamboanga City by armed men were also taken to Basilan.

Three government teachers, Freires Quizon, Janette de los Reyes and Rafael Mayorada and a bakery owner, Eliseo Hablo, were kidnapped recently in Zamboanga City.

A string of kidnapping and failed abductions of students were also reported in the local media in recent weeks. The wave of kidnappings has worried many traders and residents. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gun-For-Hire Killed In Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 23, 2008) – A man implicated in a string of murder was shot dead at a military checkpoint after he tried to attack soldiers who tried to arrest him in the southern Philippines.

Romeo Bernardo, 35, who had been long wanted by authorities for his involvement in contract killings in the provinces, was himself killed after he tried to shoot the soldiers late Wednesday in Tambulig town in Zamboanga del Sur province.

Bernardo was driving his motorcycle when soldiers stopped him at the checkpoint after he had been positively identified as a wanted man. But instead of surrendering, Bernardo pulled his .45-caliber pistol and tried to shoot the infantrymen. One soldier was quick to draw his gun and shot Bernardo.

Police said Bernardo was a known gun-for-hire in Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte.

Meanwhile, an unidentified gunman also killed a store owner on Wednesday night inside his own house in Zamboanga City, police said.

Police said Joel Genturales, 45, was shot several times in the village of Baluno. The assailant fled after the shooting. It was unknown whether Genturales was alone in the house or not, but the gunman, police said, barged inside and shot the victim. (Erico Rosco)

Trader Falls To Assassins' Bullets In Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 13, 2008) – A Filipino businessman was killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in the Western Mindanao city of Dipolog, police said Saturday.

Police said Arnold Serna, 45, was driving his off-road truck on his way home when shot several times by two motorcycle gunmen late Friday.

The assailants escaped after the killing and police said it is still investigating the motive of the murder.

Police said Serna was shot four times by the gunmen with .45-caliber pistol. Serna, police said, had been receiving death threats in the past, but authorities declined to give further details, saying, it could jeopardize the on going investigations. (Erico Rosco)

Trader Killed In Pagadian City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 9, 2008) – Motorcycle gunman killed a trader in an attack in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in the southern Philippines, police said Tuesday.

Police said the 28-year old Bryan Santos was on a vehicle on his way home when shot by one of the two men. Santos, a resident of General Santos City and working in Pagadian City died in the hospital.

He was shot four times in the body and the assailants fled after the shooting. The motive of the attack is still unknown, police said. (Eric Rosco)

Gunman Kills Officer Of Philippine Technical School

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 5, 2008) – An unidentified gunman shot dead Friday a senior official of the state-run Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Zamboanga City.

Village officials identified the victim as Arnold Pimentel, the administrator of the regional TESDA training center here. Pimentel was driving his vehicle when the gunman shot him in the head at around 7.45 a.m. The assailant escaped on motorcycle after the shooting.

TESDA is an agency under the Department of Education responsible for managing and supervising technical education and skills development in the Philippines.

The motive of the attack was unknown, but the rising cases of unsolved murders and crimes in Zamboanga City have worried residents. Authorities continue to downplay the incidents and had tagged previous killings as isolated and blamed the proliferation of illegal weapons to the rising criminalities.

Just last month, gunmen also shot dead an employee of an Internet café here and shot and wounded several more in previous attacks.

In July, two motorcycle gunmen also killed a ship owner, Faustino Saavedra, in Zamboanga City. Saavedra’s family owns the Ever Lines Shipping Company.

Motorcycle gunmen also shot dead Ibno Yusop, president of the Sangali-Bolong Drivers Association, in an attack in Zamboanga City in July. (Mindanao Examiner)

State Auditor Killed In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 02 Aug) – Motorcycle gunmen killed a government auditor in a daring broad daylight attack Thursday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.

The woman, Vilma Eguias, was driving her jeep to work when shot from behind in Tetuan village. She was hit in the back with the bullet exiting from her chest.

“The assailants were probably professional killers. We are investigating the murder,” Senior Superintendent Manuel Barcena, chief of the city police force.

No other details were made available about the killing. It was unknown whether the murder was connected to the victim’s work as government auditor.

Police blamed the proliferation of illegal weapons in the rising criminalities in Zamboanga City.

But the city is thriving with criminals and professional killers blamed for many gun attacks in Zamboanga the past years with victims that included policemen and soldiers. (Mindanao Examiner)