Vizcaya accountant’s slay probed

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — The municipal chief accountant here who was shot the other day by unidentified men died while undergoing operation at the Veterans Regional Hospital.

Ricardo Piedad, 59, died at around 3 p.m. on Monday or three hours after he was shot by his assailants.

SPO4 Anselmo Dulin, chief investigator, said the victim succumbed to a gunshot wound in his right armpit. Aside from the fatal wound, Piedad was also hit in the abdomen.

Investigators are, however, still clueless as to the identities of Piedad’s killers, who witnesses said are not "familiar faces" here.

Investigators said that the motive behind Piedad’s killing could be job-related, although Dulin said that they are also considering other possibilities.

Gov. Luisa Lloren-Cuaresma, whose husband, the late Bambang town mayor Benjamin Cuaresma was tortured to death by still unknown suspects in 1987, urged police here "to leave no stones unturned to bring justice to the victim and his family."

Provincial police director Senior Superintendent Felix Caddali yesterday ordered the Bayombong police to continue their manhunt operations. — Charlie Lagasca