A COUNCILOR of Salvador Benedicto town in Negros Occidental and two others were gunned down by six unidentified armed men at Purok Lilo in Barangay Lopez Jaena of the neighboring Murcia town Friday morning.
Killed were Councilor Eden Bacordo, 39, his partner Leah Mae Sadoa, 29, and his bodyguard Arnold Larida, 38.
The other two were also residents of Salvador Benedicto.
Senior Inspector Ronald Santillan, chief of Murcia Municipal Police Station, said Bacordo was walking through a sugarcane plantation on his way to the main road when the assailants fired at him around 9:30 a.m.
He was hit on the shoulder, but he was able to run back to the nipa hut, where he left Sadoa and Larida.
More armed men emerged and also shot him.
Sadoa saw Bacordo lying on the ground, and went to him. The assailants continued to fire at them.
A photo showed Sadoa, who was shot on the shoulder, died embracing the fallen councilor from behind.
Larida was hiding when the gunmen also shot him.
The three died on the spot while the assailants escaped on foot.
Police recovered 34 fired bullets of M16 and garand long firearm, two clips, and three live ammunition of garand long firearm.
Santillan said the three victims went to Murcia after Bacordo and Larida attended a court hearing on their murder case in Bacolod City on Thursday.
A relative of Sadoa is living in the area.
Santillan said the armed men were apparently monitoring the activities of Bacordo.
Santillan said they are eyeing love triangle and revenge as the motive.
He added that Bacordo and Larida were suspects in the killing of Charlie Buli-Buli, 35, of Barangay Bago, Salvador Benedicto, a commander of Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade.
Buli-Buli was shot to death by nine unidentified men in the said barangay last July 8 on his way to his farm, along with his 14-year-old nephew. His nephew was threatened at gunpoint but was unharmed.