ILOILO – Who wanted to kill the chief of the quality assurance section of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office?
Engineer Eva Bedonia, 54, of Hedriana Street, Pavia, Iloilo and her driver survived an ambush yesterday morning in Barangay Bolong Oeste, Santa Barbara town.
She and Administrative Aide III Rogelio Serilo, 38, of Barangay Cabilauan, New Lucena were on their way to the 4th District Engineering Office when attached around 7:40 a.m.
Their service vehicle, a white pickup, sustained five bullets holes but the two were luckily unhurt.
Major Raymund Celoso, Santa Barbara police chief, said there were two motorcycle-riding assassins. They were wearing jackets, facemasks and helmets.
“While the vehicle was making a U-turn, a motorcycle stopped and an armed triggerman fired several gunshots,” Celoso said.
It was clear that the target was Bedonia, according to the police chief, pointing to the bullet holes on the pickup’s passenger side where Bedonia was seated.
“(Serilo) was right to continue driving fast to escape the gunmen. Kun nag-stay pa sila, basi gin-finishing pa,” Celoso said.
Recovered from the crime scene were five spent bullets of a .45-caliber pistol.
‘NOT WORK-RELATED’
Citing what Bedonia told investigators, Celoso said the incident was most likely triggered by personal grudges over a land dispute and not work-related.
Prior to her appointment at the quality and assurance section of the 4th District Engineering Office in 2011, Bedonia was a casual employee of the DPWH Region 6.
The engineer had no known enemy at work and was kind, according to her coworker Engineer Perla Laguardia.
“Wala problema ah. Masinulondon kag mabuot, wala gid ya sia sang problema sa paminatasan,” Laguardia, assistant district engineer of DPWH-Iloilo 4th Engineering Office, told Panay News.
She recalled that two or three years ago, Bedonia mentioned having received a non-work-related death threat.
Nevertheless, Laguardia said yesterday, the 4th District Engineering Office would be tightening security measures.
She assured the public that their operation will not be hampered.
“Padayun kami sa pag-alagad sa gobyerno. Wala man gid ya kahadlokan nga peligro ang kabuhi namon kay wala man kami sang kontra,” Laguardia said./PN
