By Jennifer P. Rendon
Two persons were killed after they were peppered with bullets while onboard a rented van in Passi City, Iloilo afternoon of September 25, 2021.
Police has identified the victims as Jennelyn Griño, 32, of Barangay Tanza-Esperanza, City Proper district in Iloilo City; and Joemar Fuentes, 18, of Barangay Bahit, Panit-an, Capiz.
Both victims succumbed to gunshot injuries on their heads.
Their companion, 38-year-old Kenneth Dorado, also of Bahit village, Panit-an, suffered a gunshot wound on his left leg.
Dorado and Griño were live-in partners.
All of them were taken to Don Valerio F. Palmares Memorial District Hospital in Passi City where Griño and Fuentes were declared dead on arrival.
Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Pamonag, Passi City police chief, said Dorado was later transferred to Bailan District Hospital in Pontevedra, Capiz.
As of Sunday morning, Fuentes’ body is still at the hospital morgue while Griño’s remains were taken to the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes in Iloilo City.
The van driver, Jennifer Opina, 40, of Poblacion Ilaya, Ivisan, Capiz, was unscathed. According to him, the trio rented the Toyota Grandia van from Iloilo City going to Panit-an, Capiz.
There were reports quoting Opina that he did not personally know any of his passengers.
While navigating the radial road in Zarraga, Iloilo around 1 pm, they overtook a red Toyota Vios sedan (license plate FEN 202).
Opina said it was far from being considered a case of road rage.
An hour after, they stopped to eat lunch on a roadside eatery in Passi City. They finished their meal and resumed their trip sans any hitch.
While they were traversing a curve at Barangay Aglalana around 3:30 pm, Opina said he heard gunfire bursts.
He immediately stopped the van and took cover.
The hail of bullets came from the red Vios, which they overtook in Zarraga town.
One of the gunmen was armed with a long firearm.
Opina claimed he heard at least 13 gunshots directed at their van.
When the shots stopped, he saw that his two passengers were fatally hit.
Based on the bullets’ entry, none was aimed at the driver’s side.
Police investigation showed that three persons were in the red Vios, with two of them shooting at the van.
Recovered from the crime scene were eight cartridges of caliber .9mm ammunition and nine cartridges of caliber 5.56mm ammunition.
Nothing significant was also taken from the victims.
One of the bags had a wallet containing P5,000 cash, a mobile phone, and a make-up kit.
Other bags also contained the victims’ personal belongings.
Reports said the suspects’ vehicle sped off to Capiz but later made a U-turn and went back to Passi City.
INVESTIGATION
Police investigation showed that Dorado is a drug surrenderer in Capiz.
According to Barangay Captain Maria Analiza Dorado of Bahit, Panit-an, Kenneth Dorado is her nephew.
He was arrested in a buy bust operation in Roxas City in 2009 and was released from jail in 2016.
But other reports claimed that he was also accused of homicide or murder.
As this developed, though, Dorado has mentioned a person from Panit-an town who could have a hand in staging the ambush.
The man allegedly poked a gun at him in a previous instance.
The man has also constantly claimed that he will have Dorado killed, even in the presence of the latter’s mother.
But investigators have yet to rule any motive pending the gathering of more evidence and testimonies.
Meanwhile, police in Panitan, Capiz also joined the probe into the ambush.
Police Lt. Merry Chris Dela Cruz, Panitan PNP chief, said that they are waiting for word from the Passi City PNP regarding the said incident.
Dela Cruz said that they already gave police assistance to one of the victims, Kenneth Dorado and his family in Brgy. Bahit, Panitan. (With a report from Felipe V. Celino)
