At least seven persons, including the director of the Aklan police provincial office and the chief of the Kalibo police force, were killed while 29 others were wounded when a bodyguard of the Aklan police director went on a shooting rampage during Ati-Atihan festivities in Kalibo, Aklan, yesterday morning, reports reaching Camp Crame in Quezon City said.
Director General Edgar Aglipay, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), immediately flew to Kalibo with other senior police officials to look into the incident.
Initial reports received by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Central Operations Center at Camp Crame from Chief Supt. George Aliño, PNP Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) director identified five of the dead as Senior Supt. Odelardo Magayanes, director of the Aklan PNP Provincial Office; PO1 Manuel Ilejay Jr., chief of the Kalibo PNP Station; SPO3 Joselito Tablos; SPO1 Juan Gorion; and a certain PO3 Villanoche.
The alleged assailant, PO1 Jonathan Moreno, reportedly a bodyguard of Magayanes, was killed by responding police officers, reports said.
An unidentified 11-year-old girl was killed when she was hit by a stray bullet, reports added.
Both Magayanes and Ilijay, with other wounded victims, were taken to the Dr. Rafael Tumbokon Memorial Hospital , but the two police officers were declared as dead on arrival by authorities.
A certain Conrad Indelible, a local broadcaster, and an unidentified technician of a radio station were among the wounded victims, police said.
Some of the wounded victims were taken to the St. Gabriel Hospital.
Supt. Wesley Barayuga, chief of the PNP Regional Office 6-Operations and Plans Division, said that most of the victims had just attended a mass at 8 a.m. when they were fired upon by Moreno in front of the Kalibo Municipal Hall and the Aklan Cathedral. Magayanes and his men were on their way to the nearby Kalibo PNP Station.
Witnesses told police that the shooting was simultaneous with the fireworks display that marked the start of the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival.
Among those wounded in the attack were women and children attending the annual fiesta, highlighted by the Ati-Atihan parade and street dancing.
It was not immediately known what prompted the suspect to shoot his superiors and colleagues, police investigators said.
Shooting mars St. Niño celebration
By YUYL MALICSE
KALIBO, Aklan – Seven persons were killed — including Aklan provincial police director and the Kalibo police chief – in shooting that marred the celebration here of the feast of the St. Niño shortly after the end of holy mass at the Kalibo Cathedral.
A total of 33 persons who sustained bullet wounds were rushed and were being treated at the Aklan Provincial Hospital (Rafael Tumbokon Memorial Provincial Hospital), Aklan Mission Hospital, St. Gabriel Hospital, and St. Jude Hospital.
Not a single foreign visitor was reported hurt in the bloody incident, reported to be first of its kind in Aklan’s history.
Police and hospital authorities, as well as relatives identified the casualties as Supt. Odelardo Magayanes, Aklan provincial police director; Chief Inspector Manuel Ilejay, Jr., Kalibo municipal police chief; PO1 Juan Gorion, PO2 Jonathan Moreno; and a certain police officer Tambong.
The other fatality, an 11 or 12yearold girl, was not yet identified at presstime.
When informed of the incident, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Edgar B. Aglipay rushed to Kalibo, to personally conduct his own probe to determine the cause of the incident.
Interviewed by newsmen, Aglipay said reports have it that the motive behind the killing of Magayanes and the other police officers was Magyanes’ refusal to release a jailed drug lord.
Another angle being investigated was that the killing was the work of the New People’ Army (NPA) to sow destabilization in Western Visayas. However, CPP-NPA spokesmen Gregorio "Ka -Roger" Rosal was quick to answer in a radio interview that they had nothing to do with the incident.
The holy mass at the Kalibo Cathderal started at about 7 a.m. and was winding up at about 9 a.m. when the officiating priest heralded "Viva kay Senior Sto. Nino." Seconds later, successive gunshots rang out, causing thousands of people to ran in confusion.
The scheduled "Ati-Atihan" motorcade, street dancing, and other cultural activities were cancelled, but the procession where some 2,000 icone of the Sto. Niño carried by their owners as participants went on.
No government officials who were attending the celebration were reported hurt. Aklan Gov. Carlito Marquez and Vice Gov. Ronquilio Tolentino and other officials condemned the incident.
