By Danny Estacio
LUCENA CITY – Police are tracking down still unidentified suspects who hurled an improvised explosive device (IED) at the M/V Virgen de Penafrancia VI, a roll-on, roll-off passenger ship, while docked at the port of San Pascual, Masbate on Tuesday.
In a report from San Pascual chief of police Captain King Ashvin Capurcos, it was learned that the attack took place around 3:32 am on Tuesday, February 11.
No one was reported injured in the explosion, but, it damaged to some of the ship’s life rings and its large air-conditioning system condenser. The town of San Pascual is a secluded and small town in Burias Island, Masbate.
Capurcos said San Pascual Police and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 5 immediately conducted hot pursuit operations against the fleeing suspects in Barangays Busing and Iniwaran.
According to, Merian Reyes, owner, and operator of Star Horse Shipping Lines (SHSL), which has an office here, she believed that the motive for the attack was extortion.
She alleged that on January 29, a certain Lito Miranda came to her and asked for protection money as allegedly asked for by San Pascual Mayor Maxim Lazaro.
Reyes also showed to the media the CCTV footages of when Miranda came to her office, and also the text messages to SHSL operations manager Nodelon Noblezala.
Noblezala said he even asked Lazaro if he had sent Miranda to the SHSL office, to which, the mayor reportedly answered "Yes that's my man, part of the legal team. Yes, and it's hard to talk to your boss, I just ordered my legal team."
According to Noblezala, during his conversation with Miranda, the latter proposed to raise the fare charge from P220 to P250 or P270, so that SHSL could recover whatever amount they would pay Lazaro.
Reyes explained that the San Pascual route, Masbate to Pasacao, Camarines Sur was a missionary route, and that SHSL was actually operating there at a loss.
Reyes said SHSL was just plying the route “for the sake of public service, and so that the people of Burias can have better sea transportation.”
As such, Reyes is seeking the assistance of President Duterte, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Archie Gamboa to address the extortion activity and other problems in far-flung towns like the low-income town of San Pascual.