LEGAZPI CITY (PNA) — Violence erupted anew in Masbate Thursday evening leaving four people dead and two others wounded in separate incidents perpetuated by armed groups, reports reaching the police said.
The first incident occurred in Barangay Pulot in Cawayan town in Masbate, where Eddie Calicoy, 45, and Ely Gigante, 35, were shot dead by three gunmen.
Chief Supt. Jaime Lasar, Bicol police director, said probers believed that the motive of the killing may be political as the victims were employees of the provincial government and supporters of Masbate Gov. Antonio Kho.
Lasar quoting police report said the ambuscade took place at about 8:00 p.m. Thursday while the victims, on board a motorcycle, were negotiating a road in the village heading for Cawayan town, when three gunmen with M-16 Armalite rifles fired at the two, killing them instantly.
Responding policemen recovered from the crime scene a DT 125 motorcycle used by the victims and several empty shells of M16 rifle.
In San Fernando, Masbate, Joel Lingaya, 25 and Eugenio Monjares, 45, a native of Barangay Look, were seriously injured when they were fired at by still unidentified armed men.
The victims were rushed to the Masbate Provincial Hospital for medical treatment of gunshot wounds sustained and are now in critical condition.
Investigators are still determining the motive of the shooting but they are not discounting the possibility that it may be an election- related incident.
In Milagros Masbate, suspected 12 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels abducted and killed a rebel returnee in Sitio Imbudo, Barangay Jumarawon.
Killed was Obet Pacheco, 25, a native of Mobo, Masbate.
The victim was a former NPA supporter and later became a police asset.
In Claveria town in Masbate, two opposing political armed group (PAG) engaged each other in a 30- minute shootout in Barangay Taguilid on Wednesday leaving one PAG member dead and several wounded.
The warring political armed groups reportedly belong to the congressional candidates Bong Bravo of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and Eduardo Andueza of the Lakas-CMD.
As this developed, the toll of election-related incidents in Bicol since the start of the election campaign reached 20.
Most of these took place in Masbate, and 14 people died owing to intense political rivalries.
For this reason, Lasar said the PNP, in close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has submitted a strong recommendation to place the whole province of Masbate under Comelec control.
