ZAMBOANGA CITY – An Army officer, his wife and a militiaman were killed when armed men commandeered a bus in Upper Tungawan village in Tungawan town, Zamboanga Sibugay on Tuesday evening, according to military reports Wednesday.
Another person was wounded while a female passenger remained missing.
Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of the Army”s 102nd Infantry Brigade, said the victims were on a Rural Transit passenger bus, which was seized by the armed men around 8:30 p.m.
Baluyot said the Rural Transit Bus with body number 9342 was bound for this city from Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur when armed men flagged it down and started shooting the passengers.
Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Western
Mindanao Command identified the slain passengers as Army Major Julistidi Arasid of the 18th Infantry Battalion, his wife and one Cafgu identified as Lito dela Cruz.
“The armed men boarded the bus, shot dela Cruz, killing him instantly. Major Arasid together with his wife and son who were seated at the rear portion of
the bus were also fired at, killing husband and wife while their son managed to escape,” Cabangbang said.
One of the militia force CAA Federico Luchavez who was on board managed to retaliate “but he was also injured and is in critical condition.”
Cabangbang said a passenger, Sitti Aliya Jundam of Upper Calarian here
remained missing.
Baluyot said the armed men ordered all passengers to alight from the bus, “then they set the bus on fire” before fleeing.