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Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Another Pangasinan town mayor killed
LINGAYEN -- Agno, Pangasinan Mayor Arthur Cabantac was shot dead by still unidentified men, a police official said.
Police Provincial Director Isagani Nerez said Cabantac was killed while playing mahjong at a friend's residence last Saturday night.
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The mayor sustained several gunshot wounds from an M16 armalite rifle.
Police said Cabantac was the lone target of the assassins, as they did not hurt the mayor's three playmates.
Nerez has formed a task force headed by Deputy Provincial Director for Operations David Rapisora to look into the case.
Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico Jr., president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, condemned the killing of Cabantac who is a member of the Pangasinan Mayors League (PML).
Cabantac was the fifth ranking elected official in the province killed since year 2003.
Tayug Mayor Guerrero Zaragoza was shot dead while he was going out from a cockpit based in the town on June 22, 2003.
On May 27, 2004, former three-term San Nicolas mayor and then Liga ng mga Barangay president Conrado Rodrigo was also killed by two motorcycle-riding men outside the municipal covered court.
On April 29, 2007, San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello was shot dead inside the city auditorium. The killing was perpetrated during the city fiesta's coronation night.
On June 20, 2007, San Manuel Vice Mayor Boni Apilado was shot dead while he was talking with a person in front of a repair shop in Urdaneta City.
Three municipal councilors in the province, Albert Sibayan of San Quintin, Igmedio Lariosa of Binalonan and Juan Ablao of Alcala, were also killed in separate occasions.
Mourning
Governor Amado Espino Jr. is saddened by the killing of Cabantac.
Espino mentioned Cabantac's death in his State of the Province Address (Sopa) Monday morning.
"We are ordering for the search of those working as hired killers here in our province. We are on guard for our colleagues and friends," he said.
Sta. Barbara Mayor Reynaldo Velasco said the latest murder of a mayor will be taken seriously by their group.
"We do not want any more of that criminal incident to happen. We do not want criminals," he said.
He said the PML will be coming up with a resolution on the matter. Each city and town will also exert effort to look for the criminals and punish them.
"We will try to look for all of these people (hired killers). We'll make a search-and-destroy operation against all criminals," said Velasco. (Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sunnex) For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (August 5, 2008 issue)
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