2 taxi drivers shot, robbed in Talisay

Two taxi drivers were shot and robbed in  separate incidents in Talisay City yesterday morning.

Jimmy Bantilan, 49, was  attacked by four men  in sitio Rafael, barangay San Roque, after they hailed his taxi around 2 a.m.

Police said Bantilan was hesitant to hand over his money to the holduppers and  and was shot in the jaw.

The robbers took his  proceeds of P3,250 cash.

Later in the morning,   a taxi was fired upon as it reached the bridge connecting barangays Laray and Tangke.

When the vehicle stopped, with the driver wounded, four men approached and  held up driver Jimmy Bacaro and his two passengers, a married couple.

The holdup took place along the South Road Properties (SRP).

Passengers Cristita Cuerda and Marcelo Cuerda, who boarded the taxi in barangay Laray, said they heard a  gunshot before they reached the bridge.

“We heard a gunshot and wondered where it came from,” she said.

“We  saw the driver bleeding. We pulled over because he was already in pain.”

When the taxi stopped, four young men rushed over and demanded money.

The wounded driver handed them some bills.

The couple was also forced to give their P2,700 cash before the robbers fled toward  Talisay City.

Cristita said she noticed one of them came from the center island, holding a gun.

“We were driving fast. I can’t believe that they were still able to shoot us,” said Marcelo Cuerda.

Bacaro, who was hit in the left ear, was rushed by  paramedics to  the hospital after giving him first aid.

Police said they believe the robbers were lying in wait for  taxi drivers or  other motorists to pass by so they could ambush them.

They said the gunman was positioned in the center island while the others served as look outs.

In the dawn taxi  holdup in barangay San Roque, witnesses  described two of the  holduppers as   teenagers.

Talisay City Police Investigator SPO1 Mikie Espina said   police assets also helped  identified some  suspects and their addresses.

“Witnesses saw the holduppers  in the area when the shooting occurred. They  saw those who ran away and gave us  descriptions,” said Espina in Cebuano.

Police went to the house of some of the suspects but they were not around.

Espina said  a background check showed that one of the perpetrators was released from jail last March for a theft case.

Operations to arrest the suspects are  ongoing, said police./correspondents rhea ruth rossel, carine asutilla