CEBU CITY, Philippines - The assailants did not wait long.Two members of the swindling group and their female companion were killed in an ambush just minutes after they were released from the city jail in Barangay (village) Kalunasan, Cebu City. Three unidentified gunmen fired at the white Hyundai van boarded by Jose Mias Magno and his wife Evelyn, and Medase Castro, upon reaching Opra Unit 5 in Kalunasan, about a kilometer away from the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC). Evelyn, 41, and a native of Cagayan de Oro; and Jose, 42, of Davao City, were killed on the spot. Castro, 45, and a native of Cotabato City, died upon reaching the hospital. Wounded was the driver and registered owner of the van, retired Master Sergeant Henry Comandao, 55, of Barangay Basak in Lapu-Lapu City. Homicide police said that based on their investigation, three unidentified gunmen on board two separate motorcycles tailed the van after it left the Cebu City jail. When it reached a secluded area in Opra Unit 5, the motorcycle overtook the van and fired at Comandao and then Evelyn who was seated in front seat. The three gunmen then opened the back door of the van and fired at Jose and Castro. The ambush followed a similar pattern to the killing of a suspected bank robber in Minglanilla town six days ago—the driver was shot first before firing at the passengers. Ricolly Igoy was just released on bail from Carcar City Jail when he was killed by two men on board two separate motorcycles in Barangay Pakigne, Minglanilla. The gunmen first fired at the driver, Ronalde Enario before shooting Igoy. Enario was shot dead while Igoy's wife Analyn and sister Chona were wounded. The police have yet to arrest a suspect. Just like Igoy, Castro and Jose were released from the BBRC about 4:48 p.m. yesterday after posting bail of P20,000 each on estafa charges. Executive Judge Fortunato de Gracia Jr. signed their release order. Castro and Jose were alleged members of the Budol-Budol gang – a group of swindlers who lured their victims to give up their valuables by showing a bundle of money which would later turn out to be fake. They were arrested in an entrapment operation in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City based on the complaint filed by Elenar Miangar, 50, who alleged that the group duped her of P270,000. Evelyn went to the BBRC to fetch Castro and Jose from the BBRC after posting bail for their temporary liberty. The group was about a kilometer away from the BBRC when the gunmen suddenly appeared and fired at the windshield of the van, hitting Comandao and Evelyn who was in the front seat. Evelyn tried to take cover but was not fast enough. Bullet ripped through her head. The gunmen then went to the rear of the van, open the back door and fired at Castro and Jose. Capitan Edilito Mabano of Kalunasan described the crime scene as a “secluded area” because the nearest house was about eight meters to 10 meters away. He added the police suspected that the assailants finished off the victims because the van's doors were open when investigators arrived. Mabano said a habal-habal (motorcycle-for-rent) driver told the police that he saw two men on board separate motorcycles but he did not know if these were the assailants. A 15-year-old resident in Opra said he was inside his house, about 100 meters from the crime scene, when he heard four gunshots. When he looked at the window, Niño (not his real name) said he saw a man wearing a black jacket and denim pants shooting at the van. “Nagtan-aw ko ug salida adto, unya nakadungog og upat ka buto maong mihang-aw dayun ko (I was watching a TV show when I heard four gunshots so I checked it out),” the boy said. He said that he saw the man open the van's back door and fired two shots. The boy said the gunman's face was covered by the hood of his jacket. “Ang iyang jacket naa may tabon para sa ulo, mao toy gitabon niya sa iyang ulo (His jacket has a hood. That was what he used to cover his head),” the boy recalled. Niño said he could not see what the gunman looked like because he was looking from a distance of about 100 meters. The Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) recovered the body of Jose from the back seat of the van with plate no. GPZ-457. A driver's license was recovered at the pocket of Evelyn who was first taken by the Soco at the front seat. Based on the driver's license, Evelyn was from Cagayan de Oro City. Niño's statement was corroborated by his 39-year old neighbor, Merriam Bolante
Bolante said that after the gunman fired several shots, he then open the back door of the van, shoot twice and then walked away casually. The woman said she heard from one of her neighbors that driver of the gunman parked his motorcycle a few meters from the crime scene. She said a habal-habal driver had witnessed the shooting but he ran away. Mark Javier, a barangay tanod (village security officer) of Kalunasan, said Niño reported the ambush to him. He then ran to the crime scene but the gunman was no longer around. Javier said he then called the Kalunasan barangay hall and asked someone to call the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf). He said the Eruf personnel arrived about 5:30 p.m. and pulled out the bodies of Castro and Comandao. Senior Inspector Michael Bastes, chief of the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) confirmed that Jose Miano and Castro were arrested on Thursday. Bastes said that aside from estafa charges for swindling a middle-age woman, they also filed corruption of public officials after Jose and Castro allegedly tried to bribe the arresting officers in exchange of their freedom. He said the group of Jose was based in Davao City but also operated in other areas like Cebu City. Bastes said that during their investigation, Jose told them that they used three vans for their illegal operations. Bastes said the group of Jose composed of six persons had duped an elderly of her almost half a million in cash and jewelry. The elderly refused to have the case recorded in the police blotter because she was ashamed of what happened to her. He also said that based on the SIM pack that the police confiscated, the Budol-Budol group recently had a conflict which Bastes could not elaborate. BBRC warden Efren Nemeño confirmed that Miano was released on bail on Monday. Nemeño said that based on their record, Miano was released at 5:15 pm. He, however, explained that the clock at the City Jail was advanced after he was told that the incident occurred between 5:00 to 5:10 pm. He said that the prison's clock was set in advanced to ensure that prisoners will not be late in their scheduled hearings in court. /With report from Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan | 
