DIGOS City Mayor Josef Cagas is offering a P1-million bounty from the City Government to anyone who can provide information on the identity of the person behind the killing of a barangay captain on Wednesday, April 27.
Cagas, in a statement, condemned the killing of Barangay San Jose Captain Angelito Balasbas, who just got home from the barangay hall when he was shot dead by a motorcycle-riding attacker outside his home Wednesday.
Balasbas was brought to the hospital by neighbors who heard the gunshot.
The 50-year-old barangay official was declared dead on arrival at the Sunga Hospital.
"No cause or reason can justify such a senseless and brutal attack on a public servant whose heart and soul bleeds genuine concern for his constituents," Cagas said.
The mayor urged security officials to hunt down the perpetrator in order to give justice to his family.
Cagas called the late Balasbas as "a man of faith, integrity and compassion." He also called him a "true leader" to his constituents, who is "always ready and available to serve them."
"Kap. Balasbas believed in our vision of making Digos City a city of choice, to visit, work and live. He actively supported and adopted the programs of the City Government to better the lives of his constituents," he said.
SunStar Davao reached out to the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao Region for additional information on the case, but they have not responded as of Friday, April 29.
The killing comes weeks after two separate killings of barangay officials were reported. One is the killing of former barangay kagawad candidate Danilo Lumikid Jr. on April 1 in Manay, Davao Oriental.
Another is the killing of Barangay Matiao Captain Ronnie Valera in Mati City, still in Davao Oriental on April 13, 2022.
Authorities have not yet declared that the two incidents are election-related.
Meanwhile, Davao del Sur, which was identified by the PRO-Davao as one of the election hotspots, reimposed curfew in the entire province from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. effective Thursday, April 28, until May 15 to control the possible election-related violence.
Provincial Governor Marc Douglas Cagas said there is a need to intensify "anti-terrorism and anti-criminality surveillance" in some parts in the province based on intelligence reports.
The governor recently revealed that there is an alleged presence of hired “500 guns for hire” being deployed in the province to disrupt the upcoming 2022 elections.
PRO-Davao is still investigating his claims.