1 dead in QC bus terminal attack; guard arrested

A man was shot dead on Friday night by a bus terminal security guard who claimed that he only did it in retaliation, after the victim attacked him for still unknown reasons at his barracks in Quezon City.

The victim, identified as  Rolando Ibañez, a resident of Barangay Bagong Silangan in Quezon City, was shot thrice in the head while fleeing on a motorbike by John Rodterry Asis, 23, of Admiral Transport Inc. on Quirino Highway, Barangay Kaligayahan.

When arrested by the police, Asis admitted shooting Ibañez but explained that the latter was also armed and had tried to kill him first.

In his statement to the police, Asis said Ibañez, whom he had never met before, arrived at his quarters around noon on Friday asking for a bus driver named Ronald. When told by Asis that he didn’t know anyone by that name at his workplace, Ibañez left but came back around 3 p.m.

He waited for about two hours and around 5 p.m., asked Asis if he was about to have dinner. Then suddenly, Ibañez allegedly wrapped an arm around the guard’s neck while pointing a gun at him.

Asis managed to break free and grab the gun from Ibañez, who then ran off and fled on a motorbike. But Asis ran after him and, with his own gun, shot and hit Ibañez, sending the motorbike crashing on the roadside.

Recovered at the guardhouse was an improvised handgun believed to have been used by Ibañez.

“I was shocked by what he did. I only tried to save myself for I thought I would be killed,” he said.

Despite his version of what happened, Asis remained in detention at press time on Saturday. The case investigator, PO1 Raldwin Jones Sanchez, said he was set to be charged with murder as the probe took into account how Asis shot Ibañez three times in the head.  Rima Granali