Mayor, wife shot dead at NAIA Terminal 3

MANILA, Philippines (8th UPDATE) – A Zamboanga del Sur town mayor, his wife and 2 others were killed in an ambush Friday, December 20, at the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

Gunmen aboard a motorcycle shot dead Labangan Mayor Ukol Talumpa, according to airport manager Jose Angel Honrado in a media briefing Friday. Also slain were Talumpa’s wife Lea; their nephew Salipudin Talumpa, 25; and Phil Tomas Lirasan, an 18-month-old baby.

The baby, who was hit in the head, was a son of one of the 4 bystanders who were wounded during the ambush, according to a police report. The 4 bystanders – Ronda Landagan, Mary Ann Lirazan (mother of Phil Tomas), Amalia Lirazan, and Diana Uy – were brought to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City for treatment; they had all come from Bacolod City and were in the same area where the Talumpa family was, at the Arrival Bay 2. (READ: ‘I was late by 5 minutes‘)

Another member of the Talumpa family, Remayda Talumpa, was also wounded and brought to the East Avenue hospital.

How it happened

The mayor, his family and security aides arrived from Zamboanga City on board Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 852 at around 11:15 am. They left the baggage carousel area and went straight to their waiting vehicle near the Arrival Bay 2, where they were ambushed by 2 men aboard a motorcycle, Honrado said. (READ: Fast Facts: Mayor Ukol Talumpa)

Mayor Talumpa was shot in the chest and on the right side of his body, while his wife was hit in the head. Their nephew Salipudin Talumpa had 4 gunshot wounds in the head and body, according to authorities.

Honrado also admitted there is no closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the crime scene. In fact, all 4 passenger terminals at the airport are not equipped with CCTV camera.

The area, which has traces of blood, has been cordoned off.

A police report obtained by Rappler said the ambush happened past 11 am, when two men wearing a black jacket, police uniform, and boarding a blue motorcyle shot the mayor and his family at the arrival area. The victims were immediately brought to the nearby Villamor air base hospital.

The motorcyle was earlier parked at Bay 8 of Terminal 3, according to the same report. The two suspects fled to the Southern Luzon Expressway, the report added.

An eyewitness told dzMM at 1:30 pm that the gunman was wearing a cap and police uniform, while the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet and black jacket. The eyewitness said the motorcyle that the suspects boarded did not have a plate number.

Talumpa had been the target of previous attacks.

In 2010, gunmen attacked then Vice Mayor Talumpa and his nephew, Alimuddin Silad, in Manila. The two got shot and wounded, the Philippine Daily Inquirer said.

On SunStar Zamboanga, another report said Talumpa and his wife survived a grenade attack in Zamboanga del Sur unhurt.  – with Paterno Esmaquel II, Raisa Serafica and Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com