Sunday, June 24, 2007 2 gunmen kill known ally of new Abra guv By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
A BARANGAY councilman, who was a known supporter of Abra Governor-elect Eustaquio Bersamin and Bangued mayoral candidate Jun Seares, was shot dead while driving a tricycle in the capital town on Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales, director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera, identified the victim in a belated report on Friday as Luisito Blanes alias Luyong, 44, a barangay councilman and resident of Calaba, Bangued, Abra.
An initial investigation disclosed that the victim was on his way to the school of his children when two still unidentified men shot him several times in front of the Abra State Institute of Science and Technology located at Zone 3, Bangued.
The victim died on the spot while his assailants fled on board a motorcycle towards Cabuloan Road.
As a result of the incident, personnel from the 1601st and 1602nd Provincial Police Mobile Group (PPMG), along with a team from the Bangued Municipal Police Station led by Senior Inspector Joseph Paolo Bayongasan, responded to the incident and conducted pursuit operations.
According to them, the weapon used was believed to be a .45 caliber pistol, as evidenced by an empty shell recovered at the crime scene.
Gonzales said a follow-up investigation was still ongoing for the immediate identification and arrest of suspects as of presstime Friday.
