Council woman wounded, bro killed in Batangas shooting

BATANGAS CITY—A municipal councilor was wounded while her brother was killed on the spot when they were fired upon at a gasoline station in Lipa City by men on a motorocycle, police said Friday.

Supt. Jacinto Malinao, Lipa City police chief, corrected the victims’ names as Geraldine Yu (not Geraldine Loria as earlier reported), a councilor in the town of Cuenca, and her brother Arvin Loria (earlier identified as Arvin Matibag).

Malinao said Yu suffered a bullet wound on the leg while Loria died on the spot during the attack, which occurred Barangay Banay-Banay around 5 p.m. Thursday.

Malinao said Yu and Loria were waiting for their change at the gas station when the gunmen struck. He said the siblings had just attended a hearing of a case of illegal possession of firearms filed against Loria by the Criminal and Investigation Detection Group in Batangas when they were attacked.

“Loria had been receiving threats from unknown numbers so he asked his sister to accompany him, believing he wouldn’t be harmed because he was with a woman,” said Malinao.

He said investigators were looking into Loria’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs and robbery as motive for his killing.

Yu is now recuperating at Metro San Jose Hospital in San Juan, Batangas.

Malinao said no suspect has yet been identified.

RELATED STORY

Bukidnon town mayor dies in NPA ambush