Sunday, November 05, 2006
Mayor nabbed for shooting 5 people
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Government authorities have arrested a mayor accused of fatally shooting five people and sacked the town's entire police force, the military said.
North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol ordered the regional police to take Banisilan Mayor Floro Allado in custody and investigate the shooting.
Piñol also ordered the relief of the entire Banisilan Police Office for allegedly trying to cover up the crime. The town's police earlier reported that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were behind the attack.
Allado in a radio interview admitted he and his security escorts opened fire on a truck full of men in his town on Thursday but said it was in self-defense after they shot at his group.
The death toll from the incident has risen to five as more of the wounded died.
In the same interview, the mayor said the truck had been driving around town with armed men on Thursday prompting him and his police escorts to confront the victims onboard the truck.
The victims however said it was Allado who fired the first shot.
They claimed that there was only one government militiaman aboard who is armed and he never fired his gun. The victims said they were only in town to sell their agricultural produce.
Reports said Allado fired first because he believed the men on the truck were followers of a rival politician.
Local police reported earlier that MILF gunmen attacked the civilians near the Banisilan Municipal Hall, but the assailants turned out to be bodyguards of the mayor.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied the accusation and said, "We have reports saying that the attack was connected to a family feud and had something to do also with local politics," he said.
"There is an investigation going on about the motive of the attacks, but we suspect it had something to do with local politics and family feud," Brigadier General Nehemias Pajarito said.
Government troops have tightened security Saturday in North Cotabato following possible retaliation by the relatives of the shooting victims, five dead and four wounded, who are mostly Muslims and armed.
"We have troops in the area. We don't want any future hostilities breaking out between feuding groups," said Pajarito, referring to the town of Banisilan in Mindanao.
Military and police have been deployed in the town to avoid further bloodshed. (With Al Jacinto)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (November 5, 2006 issue)
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