Masbate mayor's police escort shoots heckler dead

MANILA, Philippines - A police escort of a Masbate mayoralty candidate shot dead a supporter of a rival candidate in a petty heckling incident last Sunday.

Army 9th Infantry Division spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc said the suspect, identified as PO1 Gilbert Patingan, the security escort of Placer Mayor Joshur Judd Seachon Lanete, shot a certain Carlo Antipolo at around 5:45 p.m at the campaign headquarters of Placer mayoralty candidate Fernando Talisic.

1st Lieutenant Julius Feria, commander of the Army’s Infantry Company in Placer, said the shooting followed the heckling that occurred among the supporters of the two candidates when the vehicle convoy carrying the supporters of Lanete passed the group of Talisic’s supporters.

“There was an exchange of gunfire among the opposing groups as one of the vehicles of Mayor Lanete also bore a bullet hole,” Feria said.

Cabunoc said criminal charges have been filed against Patingan, who is now detained in the Placer police station.

As of yesterday, eight incidents of election-related violence have been recorded in Masbate. In the 2004 presidential elections, there had been 22 incidents in the province and 18 in the 2007 mid-term elections.

Last February, defense secretary Norberto Gonzales said civilian armed groups sowing violence are also prevalent in the region.

He also claimed that the province is suffering from “politicized law enforcement” and a “paralyzed criminal justice system.”

Local security forces have claimed that politicians in the province are expanding their private armed groups to prepare for the upcoming polls despite the signing of a peace covenant by local candidates last February.

To address these security concerns, the military activated the 250-strong 85th Infantry Battalion to keep peace and order in the province.