Killing of two students latest bloody crime involving FEU

The killing of two Far Eastern University (FEU) students on Tuesday is the latest bloody crime involving the Manila university. Due to the shooting incident at FEU, Metro Manila police head Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina ordered the sacking of Senior Inspector Antonio Naag, head of the police community precinct in Manila's University Belt. According to a report of radio dzBB's Cecilia Villarosa, Espina also ordered Manila Police District (MPD) head Chief Superintendent Alex Gutierrez to investigate if there were operational lapses by the University Belt police community precinct in securing the students in the schools there.

The MPD is coordinating with establishments near the FEU campus if they had closed-circuit television footage of Tuesday night's incident where two students were killed:

• Gerald Martin Ramos
• Juan Paulo Nepomuceno

Ramos was declared dead on arrival at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) hospital in Manila. Nepomuceno died while being treated in the same hospital. Meanwhile, a third victim — Adrian Joseph Santiago — was rushed to the Mary Chiles hospital and his condition is still unknown. The three were reportedly walking along R. Papa street in Morayta, Manila near FEU when they were shot by motorbike riders at past 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Frat war? A report of the news site Pinoy Republic said the police are considering fraternity war as a possible motive for the killing. One of the fatalities – Ramos – was said to be a Sanggunian ng Kabataan chairman in Binondo Manila who was taking up Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. He turned 22 on the day he was killed, Pinoy Republic reported. GMA News Online contacted both FEU's Student Affairs and Security Office departments for comment on the issue. However, they refused to comment, saying the university is preparing an official statement. GMA News Online also sought comment from the University Belt Area Community Precinct. However, police said they are currently investigating the case and couldn't release information at the moment. Other violent incidents    

Other violent incidents involving FEU students happened in the past. In 2008,  Marnel “Mac” Baracael, one of FEU's former star basketball players and now a member of the PBA Alaska Aces, was reportedly shot along R. Papa and Nicanor Reyes Streets in Manila, near FEU. Baracael and his teammates Ryan Cabagnot and Robert Kabe were on the way home from practice when an unidentified gunman shot Baracael at the back with the bullet exiting through his chest. Baracael was taken to the Mary Chiles hospital and later on transferred to the Capitol Medical Center. The police speculated that the shooting was triggered by an alleged game-fixing issue. Another incident occurred on October 2 this year when 20-year-old UST student Joanne Lourdes Reyes was stabbed inside the FEU premises where she was supposed to attend to a film showing. The six FEU students who were suspected to have ganged up on Reyes were charged with frustrated murder. U-belt not safe? Some students are questioning their safety in the University Belt area after the recent incident at FEU. On the social media site “Twitter,” some students expressed their thoughts about the incident: Loise Santos: “The news about the feu students who were shot infront of their campus makes me feel seriously nervous of going outside my room. =( “ Ciarel Salvatore: “Morayta is getting more and more dangerous. Heard that 3 FEU students were shot out of the school last night and 2 of them are now dead.” Venetia Avenido: “I just read about those FEU students. Sunod-sunod incidents around U-belt. Stab. Shot. What the--?? :-( Let us all pray for peace.” Lynn Buenafe: “Oh no, where's the safety in our country?!?” - VVP, GMA News