Thursday, August 14, 2008 Mayor Sitoy’s brother-in-law shot By Allan I. Varquez Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE brother-in-law of Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy was ambushed Tuesday evening and is currently treated at a local hospital in neighboring Lapu-Lapu City for a gunshot wound in his left shoulder and left thigh.
Cecilio Ursal, 55, was driving home with his motorcycle past midnight after attending the Employees’ Night, one of the town’s fiesta activities held at the sports complex in Barangay Poblacion.
He was about 500 meters from his house in Barangay Gabi when three men on both sides of the road opened fire at him using a handgun.
Cowardly act
Mayor Sitoy condemned the attack as a cowardly act by people who hate to be derailed in their illegal activities. But he quickly dismissed insinuations that it would have a significant effect on the town’s peace and order or has threatened tomorrow’s fiesta celebration.
Ursal was designated by Sitoy as chief of the Marine Watch Task Force protecting the town’s marine sanctuaries off the islands of Gilutongan, Nalusuan and Barangay Alegria.
He is known to be Sitoy’s top guy when it comes to implementing marine laws and in the anti-illegal drugs campaign.
“I am giving our chief of police 10 days to solve the crime and I will be asking our PNP to augment our police force with 10 more personnel,” Sitoy said.
The culprits, believed to be hired killers and residents of Cordova, used a silencer on their handguns to avoid drawing people’s attention because the area where they set up the ambush had people walking for home after watching the Employees’ Night.
Motorcyle
Police believed that the gunmen were using 9-mm pistols because the bullets pierced the shoulder and thigh of Cecilio.
“Premiro nakadungog siya ug armas nga giingansa unya buto-buto dayon.
Hasta iyang motor dunay buslot agi sa bala…tuyo gyod nga patyon si Tiyo (He first heard a gun being cocked then gunshots followed. His motorcycle was also pierced by bullets. They really want to kill my uncle),” Celdon Sitoy, Cecilio’s nephew, said in a separate talk.
He said their family members suspect the attempt on the life of his uncle has something to do with his work as Marine Watch chief and the anti-illegal drugs campaign.
He said Cecilio is a retired Air Force sergeant and was bringing a .45 pistol during the ambush, but he did not have the chance to shoot back at his attackers because of his wounds. He was driving a motorcycle.
When Cecilio arrived home, he quickly called for police assistance for fear his attacker would follow him. It was the responding policemen that brought him to the hospital.
Mayor Sitoy said Cecilio told him that he is familiar with one of his attackers and will execute an affidavit so the police could have a starting point in their investigation.
