20 gunmen kill councilor, vice mayor’s brother in Negros ambush

BACOLOD CITY – A councilor and a vice mayor’s brother were killed in an ambush by at least 20 armed men in Barangay Inolingan, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental Thursday morning.

Slain were Councilor Michael Garcia, and Mark Garcia, nephew and brother of Vice Mayor Ella Celestina GarciaYulo, respectively.

Police Major Junji Liba, town police chief, said the two fatalities were on board a pickup truck when their vehicle was riddled with bullets.

They just came from a campaign sortie when about 20 unidentified armed men on board a vehicle and motorcycle fired at them at close range.

No other injuries were reported.

The vice mayor was riding another vehicle when the incident

happened but she was unharmed.

Garcia-Yulo is running for mayor in the town against incumbent Mayor Magdaleno Peña while the councilor was seeking re-election in this year’s May 13 elections.

Liba said they cannot yet tell if the assailants were gunfor-hire or members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Police have yet to establish the motive of the killing but Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade of Philippine Army, said the incident was considered an election-related violence.

On April 3, the town was declared by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) an area of immediate concern under red category, following the death of Councilor Jolomar Hilario in an attack in Barangay Inolingan on March 31 allegedly perpetrated by the NPA.