April 7, 2011 - Five gunmen commandeered a bus along the highway in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay and indiscriminately peppered it with bullets killing one Army major, his wife, and the bus marshal, who is a member of government militia, last April 4.

Confirmed dead were Army major Julistidi Arasid, his wife, who is not named, and Lito dela Cruz, an undercover agent deployed to the bus as marshal.

Report received by www.luwaran.com said the bus was traversing the highway in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay, when the gunmen struck and declared a holdup and started to shoot at the passengers.

The bus belongs to the fleet of the Rural Transit Company with body number 9342 bound for Zamboanga City from Pagadian City when it was flagged down by the gunmen in Upper Tungawan village past 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The gunmen declared a “holdup” then started shooting, killing Dela Cruz first then turned to Major Arasid and his wife who were seated in the rear.

After the shooting, the gunmen ordered all passengers to alight and set the bus on fire without removing the bodies of the slain. They fled with the assault rifles of two of the bus marshals.

The Rural Transport Bus Company has been the victim of robberies and holdups in the past. In March this year, two persons were injured when armed men ambushed another Rural Transit bus and a cargo truck in Zamboanga City. In September last year, six armed men also flagged down a Rural Transit bus in Davao City and shot dead a policeman.

In another development, many families of Buluan town in Maguindanao were fleeing to nearby villages for fear of being caught in crossfire due to alleged impending armed confrontation between armed civilians identified with the MILF and the “Buaya sa Lanao”, the private army of the Mangudadatu clan in the province.

“The fear is unfounded,” one military leader of the MILF, who is based in the town but refused to be named for lack of authority to speak on the matter, said.

“An attack of civilian areas will not come from us,” he said, explaining the conflict in the town stemmed from the greed of some politicians to get our lands and properties.

He said members of the Mangudadatu clan are engaged in monopoly, not only politics but also the resources in Buluan Lake as well as business in the three towns they controlled, especially transportation.

Asked to comment on Maguindanao Governor Esmail “Toto” Mangudadatu, he said he is a good person and has heart for the people but he cannot control some of his brothers.