Manhunt on for killers of Asturias barangay captain, wife

THE Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) has launched a manhunt to catch the motorcycle-riding assailants who shot and killed a village chief and his wife on Tuesday morning, March 14, 2023.

It identified the victims as Manguiao, Asturias Barangay Captain Mario Tundag, 57, and his wife Edna, 49.

The couple were on board their motorcycle and were passing by the Poblacion Central Elementary School in Asturias when they were shot several times.

The incident, which happened around 9 a.m., was captured on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the area.

The footage shows two men on board another motorcycle approaching the victims’ motorcycle.

The passenger of the other motorcycle suddenly shoots the Tundags. He and the driver then leave the scene, heading for the neighboring town of Balamban, while the Tundags fall to the ground.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Mark Gifter Sucalit, CPPO deputy director for operation, they initiated a dragnet, or ordered a large number of police officers to search the mid-north portion of the province to find and catch the assailants.

Sucalit said investigators of the Asturias Police Station are pursuing many angles behind the killing, including personal and business.

He said they are also not discounting politics, especially with the barangay elections take place later in the year.

“Ato gitan-aw basin naa ni kontra o kaaway nga personal. Of course, atong tan-awon sad ang trabaho niya as kapitan and then ang last tan-awon sad nato ang umaabot nga election,” he said.

(We are looking to see if he has enemies. Of course, we will look into his work as a captain and then the last thing we will look into is the upcoming election.)

Sucalit said the CCTV footage is being checked again to see if there are any clear videos to identify the gunman and the driver of the other motorcycle.

He said they want to solve the crime as soon as possible with the help of the public,

especially those who witnessed the shooting or saw the faces of the assailants.

Meanwhile, Major Alden Zambrano, chief of the Asturias Police Station, said they’ve received reports that the barangay captain quarreled with some people.

He said they will also interview the victims’ relatives to check if Mario had received threats to his life.

“Our main focus is the political angle. However, we will also look into reports that the Barangay Captain had enemies,” he said in Cebuano.

Zambrano said the shooting was well-planned, based on the CCTV footage.

One of Mario’s friends told Superbalita Cebu the victim had received many death threats.

The barangay captain was arrested in 2017 after police raided his house and found several unlicensed long firearms. (AYB/GPL)