Tuesday, May 01, 2007 2 political coordinators killed By Rex C. Otero and Ben O. Tesiorna
A REGIONAL coordinator of a partylist group in Davao City and a campaigner of a Compostela Valley congressman were killed in separate incidents on Sunday and Monday.
Josephine Buca, Alagad Partylist regional coordinator based in the city, was killed Sunday morning.
PO3 Alfredo Heliane, Sasa police investigator, said Josephine and her husband Felix were on their way home at around 10:45 a.m. Sunday when the multicab they were riding was overtaken by a motorcycle with three men onboard upon reaching Lizada Drive at Beach Club in Lanang.
One of the suspects then fired at Josephine, hitting her on the chest and head.
"The two were seated at the back of the multicab when a motorcycle with three men onboard overtook their vehicle and one of them shot Josephine. When the multicab stopped, Felix got out and fought with the suspects. He almost disarmed one of them, but the other hit his head," Heliane said.
Police are looking into the possibility that Josephine's killing was election-related.
However, Heliane said there is a stronger possibility that the victim was killed due to land dispute.
"There is a parcel of land near Alcantara which has several claimants. She has plenty of enemies and the dispute started in 2003 or 2004. In fact, there is a pending case over that parcel of land," Heliane said.
Josephine is reportedly the leader of Lanang Bayview Neighborhood Association.
"We are also not discounting that the incident was politically-motivated," Heliane said.
The couple was brought to the Davao Medical Center but Josephine was declared dead upon arrival. She succumbed to gunshot wounds on the chest and head.
Felix was declared out of danger.
The suspects immediately fled onboard a blue Honda XRM motorcycle with no plate number after the incident. Five empty bullet shells of a caliber .45 pistol were recovered at the crime scene.
In Compostela Valley, 46-year-old Nardito Ongcal of Barangay Bankerohan Norte in Montevista was killed in an ambush staged by two unidentified gunmen at around 7 a.m. Monday.
Ongcal is a barangay councilman and political coordinator of reelectionist Representative Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora.
Compostela Valley police director Nestor Quinsay said Ongcal was hit at the back and declared dead at the Tagum Medical Center.
The shooting happened a day after a peace covenant, initiated by Monkayo Catholic Church, was signed by three congressional bets of Compostela Valley's 1st District -- Representative Zamora, Lito Brillantes, and Franco Tito -- at the St. Ignatius de Loyola parish in Monkayo.
Before Monday's shooting, Rizal, Monkayo barangay captain Jose Munez was also ambushed by armed men last April 21. The barangay chief was on his way from Poblacion to Rizal when waylaid.
Munez reportedly sustained bullet wound in the neck.
Last April 19, a certain Joven Lonoy, of Sitio Liboton was also shot and killed by still unidentified armed men. Lonoy was the driver and close-in aide of Joselito Brillantes, who is running for congress under Liberal Party, representing Comval's fist congressional district.
On April 16, a political supporter of Representative Zamora identified as Bienvenido Esguera, 25, and single, was also ambushed and wounded by two unidentified armed men in Monkayo.
Then on April 7, Lando Sajonia, a barangay tanod of Purok 7, Sitio Tagusab in Barangay San Jose, was also ambushed and killed by five armed men around 3 p.m. while the victim was onboard his motorcycle and going towards his residence.
On April 4, Serio Apat of Barangay New Kapatagan was shot and killed, allegedly, by the New People's Army.
A special body tasked to prevent further violence and investigate the series of shooting incidents in Monkayo, Compostela Valley was recently created by the Philippine National Police.
Dubbed as Task Group Monkayo, the group is composed of the Monkayo Police, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco), the Army's 28th Infantry Battalion, the Regional Intelligence Group, the Regional Mobile Group-Southern Mindanao and the 1102nd Provincial Mobile Group.
Task Group Monkayo was created last April 10 and is headed by Chief Inspector Cedric Tamayo of the 1102nd Provincial Mobile Group.
Police Regional Office-Southern Mindanao Director Andres Caro personally went to Monkayo Monday to look into the composite group's progress.
Quinsay said the main mission of Task Group Monkayo is to preempt and prevent any violent incidents, speedy investigation of pending cases and the conduct of Commission on Elections (Comelec) checkpoints.
