PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde has ordered the creation of a Special Investigation Task Group to investigate the killing of Sudipen, La Union Mayor Alexander Buquing.
“While we are saddened by this unfortunate incident, we would like to assure the families of the victims that the PNP [is] committed in getting into the bottom of this case and have already tasked our special investigation task group on the ground to conduct a thorough investigation. We will keep you posted as soon as developments arise,” Albayalde said in a statement.
He also urged the public to immediately report to the police any information that may be helpful in the ongoing investigation.
Buquing, his driver Boni Depdepen and Police Officer 2 Rolando Juanbe were all killed when they were ambushed while onboard a pick-up around 6:45 p.m. along Bangar-Castro Provincial Road, Barangay Cadali, Bangar, La Union.
“’Yung pulis nakisabay lang siya doon sa mayor na pabalik na sa lugar nila. Hindi siya police escort ni mayor,” PNP spokesperson Benigno Durana Jr. said in a briefing on Tuesday, October 2.
Buquing’s wife, Sudipen Vice Mayor Joy, was also onboard the vehicle but survived the attack after her husband used his body to shield her.
Bangar Police Chief Inspector Cirilo Butigan Jr. said Vice Mayor Buquing sustained stray gunshot wounds in the head and left hand’s middle finger but she is recovering in a hospital in San Fernando, La Union.
Durana said the police have obtained accounts from possible witnesses, as well as physical evidences from the crime scene.
But he said the police are yet to get any statement from the vice mayor and their other family members to know whether the mayor received death threats prior to the attack.
“sa ngayon, binibigyan natin ng space ‘yung pamilya while they are grieving on the loss of the mayor until such time na timely na that our investigator can sit down with the family para makuhanan natin sila ng statement para makakuha tayo ng lead para matukoy natin ang mga salarin,” said Durana.
(We are giving the family space this time while they are grieving the loss of the mayor. We will wait until such time that our investigator can sit down with the family to get their statement, so we can get a lead and identify the perpetrators.)
Durana said Buquing was the 11th mayor killed since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in July 2016.
The other slain mayors include:
* Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom, who was killed in an alleged shootout with police in 2016
* Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Jr., who was killed by Crime Investigation and Detection Group operatives inside his detention cell at the Baybay sub-provincial jail in Leyte in November 2016
* Pantar Mayor Mohammad Exchan Limbona, who was shot dead in an ambush in December 2016
* Marcos, Ilocos Norte Mayor Arsenio Agustin, who was gunned down by unidentified assailants in June 2017
* Balete, Batangas Mayor Leovino Hidalgo, who was shot dead in June 2017
* Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, who was killed during a police raid in his residence in July 2017
* Buenavista Bohol Mayor Ronald Lowell Tirol, who was gunned down inside his cockpit arena in May
* Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili, who was shot dead while singing the national anthem during a flag ceremony at the City Hall in July
* Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote, who was gunned down in July by at least three unidentified assailants in front of the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan City
* Ronda, Cebu Mayor Mariano Blanco, who was shot dead inside the Ronda municipal hall on September 5
Aside from mayors, several vice mayors were also killed by still unidentified gunmen. Among them were Pamplona, Cagayan Vice Mayor Aaron Sampaga; Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Anwar Sindatuk; Roxas, Oriental Mindoro Vice Mayor Jackson Cinco Dy; Ronda, Cebu Vice Mayor Jonah John Ungab; Trece Martires, Cavite Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan; and Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi Vice Mayor Al-Rashid Mohammad Ali.
Some of the slain mayors were included in Duterte’s narco-list. Among them were Halili, Espinosa and Parojinog.
But Durana said Tuesday, October 2, that Buquing is not on the list.
He said the police are considering other possible motives in the killing, including politics and the mayor’s business dealings.
“We have committed that we will not let any stones unturned until we get into the bottom of this case and would be able to arrest the suspect and put them behind bars and give justice not only to the victims but to the bereaved families of the victims,” he said.
Durana said the police will provide Vice Mayor Buquing an enhanced security protection due to the threat against her life and because she is a possible witness, being the lone survivor in the attack. (SunStar Philippines)