• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A former barangay kagawad was shot and killed by an unidentified gunman on Wednesday at Hacienda Cabayao in Barangay San Pablo, Manapla, Negros Occidental.
According to the initial investigation of the Manapla police, the victim, identified only by his alias ‘Pablo,’ a 54-year-old former barangay kagawad, had a brief conversation with the gunman, who then shot him without any provocation.
After shooting the victim, who succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, the gunman entered the house of the former barangay official, and threatened his family members, according to the police.
Recovered by the police from the crime scene were 10 empty shells and a live ammunition of a caliber .45 pistol.
Based on the testimonies of witnesses, the gunman pretended to be looking for a lost carabao, while asking the location of the house of the victim, police said.
The gunman fled towards the mountainous area of the barangay.
PLt. Col. Joem Malong, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region, yesterday said that they are still investigating if the shooting incident was insurgency-related, considering the remoteness of the area, which used to be a bailiwick of the New People’s Army.*
