San Carlos City Mayor dies due to gunshot wounds

By Ronron
April 30, 2007

Mayor Julian Resuello of San Carlos City in Pangasinan province died on Monday morning due to the gunshot wounds he sustained in a shooting incident last Saturday night that immediately claimed the life of his civilian aide.

Resuello died at around 7am at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City due to complications of his vital organs, said his son, Julier, who is planning to take over his father in the mayoralty post this May 14 polls.

The older Resuello is only running as a vice-mayoralty candidate. He was 54.

“The doctors told us that the vital organs of the Mayor were also hit, and that his lungs continued to bleed so there were major arteries that remained cut and open,” Julier told reporters at St. Luke’s hours after his father passed away.

Resuello was attending his city’s fiesta celebration last Saturday evening at the city plaza when fired upon by two unidentified gunmen who posed as his supporters.

Aside from the death of his civilian bodyguard, identified as Jojo Martinez, 41, five other persons were also wounded in the incident. They were identified as Resuello’s police escort, SPO1 Jaime Almoite; his civilian aide, Jonathan dela Cruz, 34; and the following spectators to the event: Alwin Fermin, 29; Paulo Bino, 14; and Reyna Muñoz, 9.

“We are in the campaign season now. It’s time for politics. I do believe that this is politically motivated. Politics is the reason why my beloved father passed away,” Julier said in Filipino.

The police agreed with him.

In a press conference yesterday afternoon at Camp Crame, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Calderon said: “I can say that the incident last Saturday night (in San Carlos City) was an election-related incident considering that the killed victim was the Mayor.”

And since only the Soriano family in San Carlos City is regarded as the political rival of the Resuello’s, Calderon did not hesitate to say that they are considered as suspects to the crime, although the killer were highly believed to be hired goons.

The younger Resuello is being challenged by former Mayor Douglas Soriano for the mayoralty position.

Although, Calderon said, the Soriano’s, he heard, already issued a statement of denial of involvement in the incident.

As of yesterday, police has already accounted for 97 election-related violent incidents since the start of the election period last January 14, 24 of which are validated as politically charged.

Said incidents resulted in the deaths of 31 persons, and the wounding of 59 others.

Calderon said they expect the political rivalry to intensify further as the May 14 polls approaches, that’s why he has ordered local police commanders to continue holding dialogues with local politicians and to conduct checkpoints in each city or town 24 hours, seven days a week.

He also welcomed the directive of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to work closely with the PNP for the solution of election-related violent incidents and prevention of occurrence of such./DMS