Sunday, April 8, 2007

Police says latest ambush in Masbate is election-related

By Ronron
April 7, 2007

Police in Bicol Region officially tagged Thursday ‘s ambush incident in Masbate province, wherein two persons died and one was wounded, as an election-related violent incident (EVRI).

Sr. Supt. Cecilio Calleja, Jr., deputy regional director for Operation of the Region V Police, said in a report that the victims were found to be supporters of an independent mayoralty candidate in Batuan town, and the suspect was a supporter of a rival candidate.

At around 4:30 pm last Thursday, Manuel Ramiso and Raymund Persia were shot dead by a certain Alfredo Yuson at Barangay Poblacion, Batuan town, while Carlo Aligada was wounded in the said incident.

Recovered from the crime scene were 22 empty shells of M16 rifle.

“Please be informed that follow up investigation conducted by Batuan Municipal Police Station disclosed that it was an EVRI,” Calleja said in his report to Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon.

Calleja said the victims were identified as supporters of mayoralty candidate Lily Villanueva Alforte in Batuan, while Yuson supports mayoralty candidate Charlie Deroma Yuson III of KAMPI, the party headed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The PNP’s National Task Force HOPE (Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections) has earlier recommended for the placement of Masbate province under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on the May 14 election.

This after NTF commander Deputy Director Gen. Antonio Billones, the Deputy Chief PNP for operations, flew to Masbate last Tuesday to personally supervise the conduct of dialogues between rival politicians for the forging of a peace covenant.

The PNP has already recorded 26 victims of election-related killings since January 14 until April 6./DMS

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