News about a “shooting” incident in Pasig City on Monday prompted workers of a funeral home to go to the crime scene – only to find actors filming scenes for a television series.
The real shooting, however, happened about a kilometer away in Barangay Pineda. The victim, 35-year-old tricycle driver Rogelio Dumpit who was a drug surrenderer, suffered gunshot wounds in the head and face and died on the spot.
In Marikina City, three men and a woman who were reportedly on the drug watch list of Barangay Malanday were gunned down separately by motorcycle riders, also on Monday.
According to a report to Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, two motorcycle riders wearing helmets shot Dumpit who was waiting for passengers near a convenience store on Banaag Street on Monday afternoon.
SPO1 Edmund Pablo said Dumpit’s brother and son were nearby and rushed to the victim when they heard what happened.
Wrong crime scene
Barangay staffer Aimee Divinagracia said several actors were taping scenes for ABS-CBN’s “Dear Heart” in Dambana, almost a kilometer away from the crime scene.
Staffers of Funeraria Quiogue who heard about the “shooting,” on the other hand, went to the site and were confused when they saw a lot of people but no victim.
Barangay secretary Horatio delos Reyes said that Dumpit was a drug surrenderer who was once reported to be a drug runner. The police, however, have yet to confirm this.
In Marikina City, four people were shot separately by unidentified masked men on motorcycles between 7:45 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. on Monday in Barangay Malanday.
Senior Supt. Lorenzo Holanday, city police chief, identified the victims as Michelle Mergillano, 33; Michael Vitalico, 36; Emilio Lamsen and Bernie Subungan, 18.
Chief Insp. Eduardo Cayetano, chief of the station investigation and detection unit of the Marikina police, said that the killings could have been carried out by rival drug groups out to settle a score against each other.