Village chief shot dead in Negros Oriental

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 30): Village chief shot dead in Negros Oriental  

DUMAGUETE CITY – The village chief of Barangay Panciao in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental was gunned down outside his residence around noon Thursday.

Manjuyod police chief, Senior Insp. Antonio Jabar, disclosed in a telephone interview that Panciao barangay chairperson Mario Gonzales succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds after three unidentified men opened fire at him and his wife, Evangelyn, who suffered injuries. The couple was talking to each other outside their residence around 11:45 a.m. when the shooting took place.

The wife was brought to a hospital for treatment, Jabar said.

Elements of the 15th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, then attending a “Buwan ng Wika” activity at the nearby barangay hall, immediately conducted pursuit operations against the perpetrators, the police chief added.

Probers are considering two angles in the killing of Gonzales -- an attack by the Communist New People’s Army (NPA) or politically-motivated, or both.

Initial police investigation disclosed that sometime in February this year, alleged NPA members entered the house of Gonzales and purportedly warned him to not seek re-election because they were fielding their own candidate, said Jabar.

“Ang ilang alegasyon karon niadtong iyang anak kay murag taga pikas lang gihapon nga mihulga sa iyang papa nga dili na padalaganon pagka kapitan tungod kay naa silay gusto nga padaogon nga kapitan (The son alleged that it was still the “other side” who warned the victim not to seek re-election as barangay captain because they had somebody else whom they wanted to win),” Jabar said.

Jabar said the village of Panciao is among the areas in Negros Oriental still affected by the insurgency problem.

The perpetrators used short firearms, although the caliber was still unknown, said Jabar.

“Planado gyud to (it was really planned out),” he added.

Soldiers, who are in the area for the community support program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, were the first to respond to the incident, Jabar said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1046503