Motorcycle-riding gunmen shoot dead pension house owner

A PENSION house owner who checked into another pension house was gunned down by unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants in barangay San Nicholas, Cebu City,  Tuesday night.

Rolando Heramil Pelina, 53, died of  several gunshot wounds in the body.  He owned  the Errol Pension House in Panganiban Street, Cebu City.

PO3 Michael Codaste of the Cebu City police said Pelina was shot in front of West View Pension House at corner Macupa and Sabellanos Streets.

The  assailants sped away after the  attack.

Pension House security guard Ernesto Chavez Colot told investigators that he was able to greeted the businessman just before the gunmen arrived on a black motorcycle.

The back rider got off the motorcycle and shot Pelina in the chest,  face  and left temple.

Two empty shells from a .45 pistol and a  cell phone were recovered by homicide investigators and Crime Scene Investigation Unit (CSIU) personnel.

The black  motorcycle was later found abandoned at F. Llamas Street, barangay Punta Princesa.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the violence highlighted the need to install closed circuit TV cameras (CCTV) in critical areas in order to identify perpetrators.

“We want  everyone to be vigilant and make it hard for someone  to commit make a crime,” Rama said.

He told police and barangay tanods to be visible in their areas and for  businessmen to report any threats they receive to the police. /Correspondents Chito Aragon and Edison delos Angeles