it happened in Cebu just a few days ago, i got this from Sunstar daily Cebu.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Attack makes Choy poster boy on advantage of keeping a gun
By Karlon N. Rama & Linette C. Ramos
Sun.Star Staff Reporters
BROADCASTER and political campaigner Cirse “Choy” Torralba owes his life to his small gun, something that a Cebu City councilor and government doctor said people should try to legally own and learn to use.
Torralba was shot at 12 times, hit thrice, but the gunman failed to finish him off because Torralba, who was inside his car, managed to draw a .38 snub-nosed revolver from his clutch bag and returned fire.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña expressed concern yesterday over the shooting of the radio commentator, saying everybody is now vulnerable to attacks, including City Hall officials.
“It’s very serious, especially if this is a product of a conspiracy because then it goes beyond the individual life or liberty of one man. This can affect the entire city,” he told a news conference.
Torralba, 53, took bullets in his left arm and shoulder after he was attacked past 1 p.m. last Tuesday, just outside the Angel Radio station where he works.
The station’s security guard failed to return fire.
While Torralba was already inside his car and could have driven away, even if under fire, he was immobilized because his driver ran out of the car and hid.
“This shows that we should never trust our lives to security guards or even the policemen. Those who have the capacity to legally acquire firearms should do so and undergo training on how to use it proficiently, safely and responsibly,” Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said.
Although the gunman wasn’t hit by Torralba’s shooting, Torralba forced the gunman to stop his attack, observed a government surgeon and gun instructor.
“Even if he didn’t hit his attacker, he managed to lay down covering fire that forced his attacker into retreat. In a situation like that, forcing your attacker to retreat is the priority. He did exactly the right thing at the right time,” Dr. Tyrone Mercader said.
Mercader is vice president of the Kamagong Gun Club Inc., based inside Camp Lapu-Lapu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters for Central Visayas.
Mercader said Torralba, all things considered, did all the right things to save himself from harm.
Although he wasn’t able to notice the presence of his assailant until the shooting began, Torralba managed to think straight, draw his pistol and fire.
“The worst thing you can do in this kind of situation is to do nothing,” Mercader said.
Mayor Osmeña, meanwhile, wants the police to determine if a lone gunman carried out the ambush or other assailants and vehicles were involved.
The mayor speculated that Torralba’s attacker could be a frustrated individual who wanted to get even with him, “but at this point, everything has to be considered.”
Osmeña also wants to find out if there are powerful people who helped plan and finance the attack.
“We have to verify all of the facts because if it appears that this is a well-planned, premeditated and well-financed operation, then the implications will very well point to wealthy individuals who have been affected by Mr. Torralba’s activities,” he said.
“Hard-hitting” commentators like Torralba should be conscious and should carry firearms, said Councilor Jakosa-lem, who is also the station manager of FM radio station Y101.
Osmeña said that as long as people are licensed and trained on how and when to use their firearm and they are responsible gun owners, he has nothing against his constituents carrying a licensed firearm.
“There are no good guns, there are no bad guns. A gun in the hands of any good person is no threat to anyone except to a bad person,” Jakosalem said in a separate interview.
The mayor and Jakosalem visited Torral-ba in the hospital right after the shooting.
Osmeña again visited the commentator yesterday with Sen. Loren Legarda, Cebuana Annabelle Rama and outgoing City Councilor George Rama, arrived together at the hospital around 9:45 a.m.
Legarda said that Torralba has been a good friend to her for over six years and that the radioman never asked for a single favor from her, except for the licensing of his revolver, which she said she also failed to attend to.
The same revolver was the one Torralba used in firing at the gunman.
Torralba said the attack was his third brush with death.
The first one was when a parked truck rolled down the road and smacked into his car in ******. He was lucky he was outside the vehicle when that happened.
The second time was when he suffered an attack in 1995, where he was paralyzed for seven to eight days.
“There is no way that the guy could have survived if he wasn’t armed himself. I know there’s a gun ban but I am happy that he was carrying a pistol of his own. This incident only shows that gun bans are useless in the first place,” Jakosalem said.
He knew Torralba to be a licensed gun-owner but, along with countless others, was never interested in learning how to shoot properly.
“Owning a gun without taking the necessary training is dangerous not only to people around you but also to yourself. Having a gun gives you a sense of security, which is all false unless you know how to use it,” Jakosalem said.
(June 10, 2004 issue)
Kerwin
__________________
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Attack makes Choy poster boy on advantage of keeping a gun
By Karlon N. Rama & Linette C. Ramos
Sun.Star Staff Reporters
BROADCASTER and political campaigner Cirse “Choy” Torralba owes his life to his small gun, something that a Cebu City councilor and government doctor said people should try to legally own and learn to use.
Torralba was shot at 12 times, hit thrice, but the gunman failed to finish him off because Torralba, who was inside his car, managed to draw a .38 snub-nosed revolver from his clutch bag and returned fire.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña expressed concern yesterday over the shooting of the radio commentator, saying everybody is now vulnerable to attacks, including City Hall officials.
“It’s very serious, especially if this is a product of a conspiracy because then it goes beyond the individual life or liberty of one man. This can affect the entire city,” he told a news conference.
Torralba, 53, took bullets in his left arm and shoulder after he was attacked past 1 p.m. last Tuesday, just outside the Angel Radio station where he works.
The station’s security guard failed to return fire.
While Torralba was already inside his car and could have driven away, even if under fire, he was immobilized because his driver ran out of the car and hid.
“This shows that we should never trust our lives to security guards or even the policemen. Those who have the capacity to legally acquire firearms should do so and undergo training on how to use it proficiently, safely and responsibly,” Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said.
Although the gunman wasn’t hit by Torralba’s shooting, Torralba forced the gunman to stop his attack, observed a government surgeon and gun instructor.
“Even if he didn’t hit his attacker, he managed to lay down covering fire that forced his attacker into retreat. In a situation like that, forcing your attacker to retreat is the priority. He did exactly the right thing at the right time,” Dr. Tyrone Mercader said.
Mercader is vice president of the Kamagong Gun Club Inc., based inside Camp Lapu-Lapu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters for Central Visayas.
Mercader said Torralba, all things considered, did all the right things to save himself from harm.
Although he wasn’t able to notice the presence of his assailant until the shooting began, Torralba managed to think straight, draw his pistol and fire.
“The worst thing you can do in this kind of situation is to do nothing,” Mercader said.
Mayor Osmeña, meanwhile, wants the police to determine if a lone gunman carried out the ambush or other assailants and vehicles were involved.
The mayor speculated that Torralba’s attacker could be a frustrated individual who wanted to get even with him, “but at this point, everything has to be considered.”
Osmeña also wants to find out if there are powerful people who helped plan and finance the attack.
“We have to verify all of the facts because if it appears that this is a well-planned, premeditated and well-financed operation, then the implications will very well point to wealthy individuals who have been affected by Mr. Torralba’s activities,” he said.
“Hard-hitting” commentators like Torralba should be conscious and should carry firearms, said Councilor Jakosa-lem, who is also the station manager of FM radio station Y101.
Osmeña said that as long as people are licensed and trained on how and when to use their firearm and they are responsible gun owners, he has nothing against his constituents carrying a licensed firearm.
“There are no good guns, there are no bad guns. A gun in the hands of any good person is no threat to anyone except to a bad person,” Jakosalem said in a separate interview.
The mayor and Jakosalem visited Torral-ba in the hospital right after the shooting.
Osmeña again visited the commentator yesterday with Sen. Loren Legarda, Cebuana Annabelle Rama and outgoing City Councilor George Rama, arrived together at the hospital around 9:45 a.m.
Legarda said that Torralba has been a good friend to her for over six years and that the radioman never asked for a single favor from her, except for the licensing of his revolver, which she said she also failed to attend to.
The same revolver was the one Torralba used in firing at the gunman.
Torralba said the attack was his third brush with death.
The first one was when a parked truck rolled down the road and smacked into his car in ******. He was lucky he was outside the vehicle when that happened.
The second time was when he suffered an attack in 1995, where he was paralyzed for seven to eight days.
“There is no way that the guy could have survived if he wasn’t armed himself. I know there’s a gun ban but I am happy that he was carrying a pistol of his own. This incident only shows that gun bans are useless in the first place,” Jakosalem said.
He knew Torralba to be a licensed gun-owner but, along with countless others, was never interested in learning how to shoot properly.
“Owning a gun without taking the necessary training is dangerous not only to people around you but also to yourself. Having a gun gives you a sense of security, which is all false unless you know how to use it,” Jakosalem said.
(June 10, 2004 issue)
Kerwin
__________________
