Hostage taker in Pampanga shot dead

Miami
May 29, 2008
Story: Hostage taker in Pampanga shot dead

A hostage taking incident occurred in a passenger bus which start at around 2:00 pm and ended at 6:20 pm after the hostage taker was killed by the policemen.

The Genesis bus (CVJ 284) with body number 81881, came from Pasay and boarded with 13 people including the driver and the conductor along EDSA Caloocan. The bus is bound to Balanga, Bataan.
The victim was identified by Pampanga Provincial director Sr. Supt Keith Singian as Rey Digo, upon reaching the national highway in Purok 2 barangay Lourdes. Lubao, Pampanga the suspect fired his gun twice hitting two male.

The driver of the bus who was able to escaped together with the conductor who managed to bring one of the wounded outside the bus and brought to the hospital.

While one of the wounded was left inside the bus after the suspect did not let the driver to bring down the wounded person.

Singian said the lone suspect was having problems with his family after his wife left him few days ago and starting to get mad at women. He is armed with .38 and a knife.

Left inside the bus are ten people including two children.

At around 4:00 pm, through the negotiation of Lubao Chief of police Supt. Edwin Mangaliman, the suspect released two children. Then at 4:30pm the wounded person who was left previously was also released by the hostage taker leaving seven more hostages. The seven hostages are all female.

At 5:30 pm, the hostage taker released three of his hostages, left inside the bus with him were four female. Then at around 5:55 pm, he released one female.

The hostage taker did not ask for any demands. But when the police asked him why he is hostaging people he answered them because his wife left him already and want to show to his wife what will happen to him after she left him.

The police did not know where the suspect got his gun.

At around 6:20pm three policemen led by Mangaliman, went inside the bus. Mangaliman and Digo fight for the gun after it was clear to them that Digo has no plans to surrender.

When Mangaliman still trying to grab the gun of Digo, the suspect tried to point the gun to Mangaliman this prompted the two policemen who went inside the bus with Mangaliman to shot him which lead to his instant death. They hit Digo on his left eye. The three women who are still inside the bus were unharmed.

The names of the victims and those who were shot were not yet been identified as of press time.