Mayor's guard gunned down

TACLOBAN CITY — Killings and violence continued to rise in Samar's first congressional district, and this time, on Sunday afternoon, two more were shot dead: A bodyguard of Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino, and an employee of a multi-national private company.

Police identified the two victims as Ronnie Aliman, the bodyguard, and his friend, Marlon Gaselos, an employee of the private firm.

Investigators said four men, armed with .45-caliber pistols, at about 5 p.m. entered the house of a barangay official—where Aliman and Gaselos were having a drinking spree—and opened fire at the victims who died on the spot.

This incident happened two days after a traffic enforcer, also of Calbayog, was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle, while manning the traffic in the city’s downtown area.

Early last week, Barangay Chairman Joel Manselyo of Malopalo in Calbayog was shot dead also by suspected members of a private armed group (PAG) operating in Samar.

Superintendent Marlon Quemdo, Calbayog City Police chief , said the series of killings in his area of responsibility is now the main focus of the police investigation to identify the perpetrators. He however said his men already have leads on the matter.

Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar, regional director of the Police Regional Office-8, said he already deployed to Samar 300 policemen from the PNP Regional Pulic Safety Batallion to augment the troops of the Philippine Army who are out to neutralize PAGs in the area.

"I already ordered my men in Calbayog to get search warrants so that we can get the firearms of the PAGs. Maganda kung may legal basis na hahawakan ang ating kapolisan," he said.

Beltejar earlier insisted that some of these killings may not be perpetrated by PAGs, as perceived by the public, saying that based on their investigation some of the killings were found to have something to do with personal grudges and retaliatory moves between two parties.

Garcia Desacada