A 20-year old student was shot dead while a delivery panel, in a separate incident, was flagged down by highway robbers.

In barangay Anislag, Maribojoc town last Tuesday 20-year old Lilibeth Lugaos was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding cellphone snatchers.

ROBBED. Delivery panel of Image Marketing.

The victim, while waiting for a passenger bus going to Tubigon, was with a friend, Rosaleo Buligan, and her sister, Leah Lugaos, when the tandem motorists accosted them, initially asking for directions. The back-rider later pointed a gun at Buligan demanding for his cellphone. After giving his phone to one of the suspects, Lilibeth ran away but the suspect felled her with a shot, instantly killing the victim.

In the same manner, after Lilibeth had been shot down, Buligan also attempted to run and was also shot. Luckily, he lost footing and was able to dodge the bullet which narrowly missed him.

Minutes after the incident, Maribojoc police responded and called for assistance from the Loon police station to deploy a checkpoint in the town where the suspects allegedly took off.

According to the victim's sister, the suspects were riding a yellow Honda motorcycle.

The armed cellphone snatchers, however, slipped through the deployed checkpoint in Loon.

Loon police later admitted in a telephone interview over station dyRD that they had "lapses" in conducting the checkpoint.

PO1 Alexander Nuñez, Loon police investigator, told the Chronicle that they were not able to pursue the suspects in time since their patrol car was under repair. They were able to use the town's ambulance but were late in pursuing the perpetrators as they fled through the Catagbacan intersection.

LOON HIGHWAY ROBBERY

Three days later, three armed motorcycle-riding robbers carted away with some P30,000 and two cellphones after pouncing on a delivery panel of Image Marketing in barangay Bas Dako, Loon town.
The victims were briefly parked at an unlighted roadside after their delivery helper David Melencion asked to relieve himself in a dark spot.

The driver, Isidro Ballidor, and salesman, Teotimo Basio, unsuspecting of trouble, were surprised when the three suspects suddenly emerged from the shadows and declared a holdup.

The bonnet-wearing suspects immediately divested the two cellphones from the victims including the day's sales collection.

Police investigation revealed that the suspects could have been following their normal route.

POLICE DRAGNETS

The series of unsolved armed highway robberies in the towns of Bohol have prompted Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Director P/Ssupt. Arturo Evangelista to constantly remind police stations to conduct regular checkpoints.

Evangelista admitted in an interview with the Chronicle that there were several lapses on the part of the Loon police in their deployment of the checkpoint last Tuesday.

He said that "prior to the checkpoint proper, the operatives should have established a hundred meter 'slow down' zone where two police officers will be stationed and put up a checkpoint notice… failure to do so will put the operatives on high risk."

"The checkpoint proper should have a blockade made of hard materials that would totally obstruct the highway," Evagelista added.

Considering the two-way traffic, a third position should also be manned by two police officers to protect motorists coming from the opposite direction.

The police provincial director has already ordered for an administrative investigation on the Loon police operatives.

In line with this, he has also scheduled a Field Training Exercise (FTX) and a refresher course to all chiefs of police in the province on the implementation and deployment of checkpoints.

"Police officers should be able to anticipate the 'worst case scenario' in every operation, criminal elements in the province have become so bold… they don't even hesitate to shoot even if they just want to get a cellphone…" Evagelista added.

SUSPECT NABBED

Leah Lugaos, sister of victim Lilibeth, positively identified last Thursday the suspected perpetrator of the Maribojoc cellphone snatching who was captured by joint police operatives of Maribojoc, Cortes and Tagbilaran City.

The suspect, identified as Neptali Alfredo Pondoc alias "Wawa," 26, was identified by Leah through the police photo gallery in the PNP Investigation and Intelligence Section.

According to Leah, Pondoc was the back-rider who accosted them and demanded for the cellphone and later shot her sister and their friend Rosaleo after the latter had given his cellphone.

Pondoc is currently being charged for robbery with homicide and is detained in Camp Dagohoy, this city.