There seems to be an escalation of violent acts.
On Wed, Jul 13, unidentified men set fire to a taxi unit owned by an Iloilo City businessman who has been tagged as a drug lord by the authorities.
“The Melvin taxi fleet is owned by Melvin Odicta who was tagged by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the head of one of two main drug groups operating in Western Visayas,” reports Nestor P. Burgos Jr. in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The report noted: “Odicta has repeatedly denied the allegation. He is facing criminal charges for leading a group of men who allegedly attempted to forcibly enter radio station Aksyon Radyo Iloilo which has been airing reports and commentaries against illegal drugs.”
Taxi driver Jonathan Banes told investigators he picked up the two men along Delgado Street in Iloilo City a few minutes after midnight.
The men asked to be brought to Barangay Ungka in the neighboring town of Pavia. However, when they reached Barangay Sambag in Jaro District, one of the men poked a gun at Banes.
The men then tied Banes’ hands and feet and gagged his mouth with packing tape. They then left him along the road in Barangay Sambag.
The men did not take his cellphone and earnings amounting to about PHP4,000. The suspects only drove off with the taxi (a Toyota Avanza).
Banes later managed to break free from his restraints. He then used his cellphone to call and ask for help from his fellow taxi drivers.
The burning taxi was found by the cops at around 2am in the town of Oton, which is about seven kilometers from Iloilo City.
Investigators are still trying to determine the identities of the suspects and their motive of the burning of the taxi.
