Driver of Abra mayoral bet beaten up, shot dead

MANILA, Philippines - A driver of a mayoral bet in Abra was beaten up and shot dead yesterday allegedly by supporters of a rival candidate during a campaign sortie in the capital town of Bangued.

The victim, Mario Acena, sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the head and body and died on the spot.

Chief Superintendent Villamor Bumanlag, Cordillera police director, said Acena became the first casualty of the elections in Abra, tagged as the “killing fields” in the region in past political exercises.

Twenty-eight people were killed in Abra in the 2007 local elections.

Bumanlag said Acena was a driver of Ryan Luna, who is challenging incumbent Bangued Mayor Dominic Valera in the May 10 polls.

Luna, son of Abra Rep. Cecille Luna, survived an ambush try in Penarubia town last April 11, but four of his supporters were wounded.

According to initial reports, the younger Luna was conducting a house-to-house campaign in Barangay Cosili West in Bangued town while Acena and a certain Jimmy were doing the rounds on board a “Weapon” campaign vehicle.

At about 8 a.m., the Weapon vehicle got entangled with the four-vehicle convoy of Mayor Valera, who was also campaigning in the area, and a heated argument ensued, according to reports reaching Bumanlag.

According to witnesses, Valera’s supporters allegedly ganged up on Acena and Jimmy, who both fought back using their bare hands. Jimmy managed to escape.

The outnumbered Acena ran under their vehicle and pleaded for his life when shots rang out, police quoted witnesses as saying. Valera’s supporters then reportedly fled on foot after allegedly depositing firearms in different houses.

Responding policemen recovered two firearms in the three vehicles of Valera’s group abandoned at the crime scene.

Police also took custody of six other firearms, including a machinegun, which were surrendered by local residents.

Mayor Valera belied the younger Luna’s allegation that he was the one who shot Acena, saying he was ready to undergo paraffin test to prove this.

He admitted though that a shooting ensued when Acena and motorcycle-riding men allegedly fired guns.

But Bumanlag said they are now determining which of the two rival groups started the fray.

He said police investigators were gathering the statements of witnesses, who all belong to Valera’s camp.

“The group of Luna has yet to surface and give their side on the incident. We are waiting for their (Luna’s) side before filing appropriate charges against the culprits,” Bumanlag told The STAR.

Bumanlag said Acena became the second supporter of Luna to be shot in a span of two days.

Last Wednesday night, Luna’s supporter Elmer Velasco was shot and wounded while cooking food at a wedding reception in Sitio Pagaway, Barangay Calot, also in Bangued. Velasco sustained four gunshot wounds.

Meanwhile, Rep. Luna called on her and Ryan’s supporters not to take retaliatory action against the Valeras to preserve peace and order in the province.

“Let the police do their job and justice to prevail in this case,” she said, as she expressed confidence in the leadership of Bumanlag and Senior Superintendent Ernest Gaab, Abra police director.

Because of Acena’s killing, Bumanlag intensified police visibility and checkpoint operations in 19 “areas of concern” in Abra.

“It is unfortunate that this incident happened a day after I (deployed) at least 200 policemen in the province to safeguard the coming polls,” he said.

Bumanlag said no policemen were deployed in the crime scene because it was near Bangued town and that the Cordillera police was mainly focused on the 19 poll hot spots.   – With Artemio Dumlao