MISAMIS Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano on Monday, July 16, said he holds confidential information that may be useful in the investigation on the killing of Danao, Jasaan, Misamis Oriental village chief Alfredo Zapanta.
Emano said he would forward to the investigators the information revealed by Zapanta before he was gunned down last Friday, July 13.
“Nagka-istorya mi bag-o ang insidente ug ipasa nako ang iyang gibuhian nga pulong ngadto sa task group kay basin magamit sa pagsubay nila (We talked before the incident and I already relayed this information to the task group),” Emano said.
The governor declined to elaborate but said local politics was one of the topics that he discussed with the murdered village chief.
Zapanta was an ally of Emano’s Padayon Pilipino party.
Authorities have been looking at the possibility that the July 13 killing was politically motivated.
Emano said Zapanta would have held one of the positions for the town's Association of Barangay Councils (ABC).
Zapanta was shot dead three days before the ABC polls yesterday.
Emano said eight of the fifteen village chiefs of Jasaan town are allied with the Padayon Pilipino.
“Dili siya kandidato sa pagka-ABC president pero pwede unta siya makakupot ug position sa ABC. One vote will make a difference to help the party win the ABC in Jasaan (He was not a candidate for ABC president but he could have held a position at the ABC),” Emano said.
Emano said he is also worried about the safety of two more allies, also village chiefs, who he said has been unreachable.
The governor, however, declined to name the supposedly missing village chiefs.
Emano said he is uncertain whether the said barangay captains jumped ship to the opposing political group or went into hiding because of fear.
The killing of Zapanta is an isolated case and he urged the local government unit to help in the investigation, the governor said.
He said he is waiting for the report from provincial police director Senior Superintendent Rolando Destura.
“Dili ko gusto ko nga ma-susama ang Jasaan o ang Misamis Oriental sa ubang lalawigan nga madugoon ang hitabo mao nanawagan ko sa LGU nga motabang kay dili angay ang politika susama niini (I do not want Jasaan or Misamis Oriental to be like other places that are bloody that is why I am asking the LGU to help),” Emano said.
“Gikondena ko ang hitabo ug ikasaad ko sa pamilya nga maningkamot ako taman sa akong magahum nga matagaan hustisya ang kamatayon ni kapitan Zapanta (I condemn the incident and I made a promise to the family that I will do everything in my power to give Kapitan Zapanta justice),” he said.