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Sunday, April 25, 2004
MisOC mayoralty bet ambushed; soldier killed
ZAMBOANGA -- A mayoralty candidate of Misamis Occidental and his convoy of supporters were ambushed recently by unidentified armed men, killing one of his military escorts, according to a military report.
The incident is the latest violence linked to the country's May 10 general elections.
Francis Suan, candidate for mayor of Sapang Dalaga town in Misamis Occidental province, was returning from a campaign rally on Friday when his convoy was attacked, said Lieutenant Colonel Renoir Pascua.
Suan and his group were on their way home from a political rally at around 1 p.m., and were in the vicinity of Barangay Ventura when attacked by armed men.
Suan escaped harm as his security escorts fought back, but one of the soldiers guarding him was shot in the chest and died, Pascua added.
The victim, Corporal Benjohn Yusob of the 51st Infantry Battalion, and Suan's designated security escort, sustained a gunshot wound on his right breast. The bullet excited at the left portion of his back.
At least two platoons of the Army's Bravo Company were immediately deployed to conduct clearing operation in the ambushed area.
Police said the attack may be related to heated political rivalries in the area. However, they said communist guerrillas, who have been extorting money from candidates for the elections, may also have been behind the attack.
Earlier, a nationwide police tally found that 71 people had been killed in election-related violence since December, surpassing the number of dead in the last general elections in 1998.
President Arroyo, seeking a six-year term in the May 10 vote, has ordered increased police security for candidates, especially those targeted by the communists' extortion demands. Cheng Ordoņez/AFP
(April 25, 2004 issue)
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