'Hired goons' eyed in gun-slay of military intelligence operative; not election-related

From the Philippine News Agency (May 3): 'Hired goons' eyed in gun-slay of military intelligence operative; not election-related

Law enforcers have tagged suspected guns-for-hire as the alleged assailants who killed an intelligence operative of the Philippine Army in an ambush in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental on Thursday.

This early, police and military authorities are saying the shooting incident is not election-related.

The victim, identified as Corporal Arnold M. Engada of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army based in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, was declared dead on arrival at the Canlaon City District Hospital.

Initial investigation showed that Cpl. Engada was with another soldier to verify reports on the presence of armed men at Hacienda Perez in Barangay Linuthangan, Canlaon City around 9 a.m. Thursday, according to Col. Patrimonio, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, the mother unit of the 11th IB, based in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental.

Engada and his colleague were reported to be in the company of a member of the Belleza family when they were ambushed by at least three unidentified armed men who opened fire at them.

Spent shells fired from a shotgun were recovered from the crime scene, Patrimonio disclosed.

The purported target in the attack was Belleza, a report reaching police provincial director Sr. Supt. Noli Romana had said.

Further investigation revealed that a land dispute between the Perez and Belleza families in Linuthangan was the motive for the attack, Col. Patrimonio said.

According to Col. Patrimonio, the Belleza family was “protecting” the matriarch of the Perez hacienda, known as a certain Nene Perez, 80 years old, in the family feud involving the latter’s grandson, Michael Perez, who allegedly wants to take control of the estate.

The Army commander also disclosed that the suspects are not members of the New People’s Army in the area.

Intelligence reports confirmed that the assailants are members of a private armed group operating in Canlaon City and other nearby areas in northern Negros.

However, authorities are not saying whether they belong to one of the three suspected private armed groups earlier identified as operating in Negros Oriental.

These are the Dumas-ug Group, headed by a certain Sunny Bacolod, believed to be operating in Canlaon City, the Desperado Group, whose leader is a certain Rolando Mallari, in the central part of the province and the Tanasan-Libron Group in Bayawan City.

No arrests have been made following the ambush-slay of the military intelligence operative but Col. Patrimonio said some names have surfaced but he did not elaborate.

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