3 Army soldiers in Taguig shooting arrested

Three Army soldiers on a Christmas Day drinking spree were arrested by the police after they allegedly shot and wounded six persons, including four teenagers, who supposedly pelted them with stones in Taguig City on Saturday.

Arrested were Army Capt. Nheiljay Maguddayao Garcia, 31, assigned at Command and Control Training and Doctrine Command in Tarlac; 2Lt. Felomino Maguddayao Garcia, 30, assigned at Army headquarters support group in Fort Bonifacio; and 1Lt. Minalyn Awat Ladyong, 29, of Army signal regiment in Fort Bonifacio.

The Philippine National Police has coordinated with the Philippine Army for administrative cases, apart from the filing of criminal charges, against the Army soldiers.

Police Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said the three Army commissioned officers were arrested by the Taguig City police immediately after the incident, which happened at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, at a house along the C5 Service Road in Wildcat Village, Barangay Pinagsama in Taguig City.

Danao said the three soldiers were on a drinking spree at their house to celebrate Christmas when six persons supposedly threw stones at them. This prompted the soldiers to shoot the stone throwers with an M-16 rifle.

The victims, identified as Edsel Hecita Polo, 28; JD Umbaro Navales, 24; John Carl Marca Sabino, 18; along with three minors age 14, 16 and 17, were brought to Ospital ng Makati and Taguig Pateros District Hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds.

On Sunday, Danao appealed to the public to remain calm and settle disputes without firing guns, following the shooting incident.

“Having a gun does not mean that you have a passport to indiscriminately fire your firearms and/or to illegally discharge your firearms,” the NCRPO said in a statement.