Three armed carjackers made off with the vehicles of a distinguished Filipino diplomat and a Japanese businessman on Monday afternoon in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, it was learned from police on Tuesday.

The drivers of the sedans of Ambassador Roberto Romulo and Japanese trader Koji Hasegawa were reportedly having a snack at 2 p.m. Monday along Merit Road near the Department of Energy (DoE) Compound in Fort Bonifacio when three armed men on board a plate-less Honda CRV arrived.

Romulo and Hasegawa’s drivers, identified as Danilo Quilong, of 9-C Urdaneta Village and Nomer De Vera, of 158 Aglipay St., Mandaluyong City, respectively, were held at gunpoint by two of the gunmen while their cohort remained inside the CRV.

The carjackers carried long firearms, Chief Inspector Reyante Ibon of the Taguig Anti-Carnapping Section said.

Police said the drivers tried to resist but when one of the robbers fired a warning shot, they promptly yielded the keys of Romulo’s Toyota Camry (ZNL-415) and Hasegawa’s Toyota Innova (ZCE-378).

The two gunmen subsequently commandeered the cars and sped off along with the Honda CRV toward C5 Road in Makati. The victims sought the help of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in Camp Crame, Quezon City to catch the carjackers.

Ambassador Romulo is decorated by the governments of Belgium, Thailand, Spain, Chile, France and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, a passenger bus suddenly burst into flames in The Global City, Fort Bonifacio at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Senior Supt. Camilo Cascolan said that no one was injured in the incident.

Responding firefighters put out the fire that engulfed the red and white- HM transport Inc. bus (Body no. A-163), while police officers closed off both sides of 3rd Avenue to isolate the vehicle.

Authorities have yet to confirm what set the bus ablaze, although they believe that faulty electrical wiring caused it. Reports said that the presence of smoke inside the bus preceded the fire.

The bus’s underchassis was completely burned, police said.