Digos teacher killed in front of pupils

DAVAO CITY — Was he killed because he was a spy of the military?

This cropped up as 38-year-old Felipe Caban, a teacher of the Badiang Elementary School in Digos City, Davao del Sur, was shot dead by two men in front of hundreds of pupils last Thursday.

Police said Caban was at the school’s frontyard when the gunmen appeared and fired at him as the schoolchildren, who were rushing to their respective classrooms after the flag ceremony, watched in horror.

"It was very sad knowing the impact of the shooting on the young pupils who must have been shocked by the scene," said Southern Mindanao police director Isidro Lapeña.

Authorities were still probing the motive for Caban’s killing although the teacher was said to be an "asset" of the military intelligence unit. Military intelligence sources confirmed Caban’s affiliation with them.

Found in Caban’s possession were a caliber .38 pistol and an identification card indicating he was affiliated with the military intelligence unit.

Police, however, were also looking into the teacher’s alleged involvement in a "love triangle" and in an alleged rape case in the neighboring town of Matan-ao.

Investigators were also exploring the alleged old grudge between him and his father-in-law as a possible motive.