CamSur mayoral candidate survives slay try

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – An independent mayoral candidate in Camarines Sur, together with his police security escort and driver, survived an assassination attempt when the car he was riding was peppered with bullets along the Maharlika Highway in Bula town Saturday night, police said.

Senior Superintendent Eliciar Bron, Bicol police spokesman, said the Suburban SUV of mayoral bet Homer Cleofas Razado, 42, had five bullet holes – four in the left rear door and one in the windshield – as a result of the attack in Barangay Banas.

Razado’s driver, Nestor Villegas, 53, managed to drive away and entered the provincial police headquarters in adjoining Pili town. Also with Razado was his security escort SPO2 Diego Magpantay.

Razado was the second candidate in Camarines Sur whose vehicle has been fired at. Last April 24, Danilo Magno, a town council bet in Tinambac town, survived a slay attempt but a driver in his convoy, Bobby Lorilla, was killed.

Meanwhile, a classroom some 100 meters from the principal’s office of an elementary school where precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines were being kept was torched in Sipocot, Camarines Sur past midnight yesterday.

Maj. Harold Cabunoc, Army’s 9th Infantry Division spokesman, however, believes that the arsonists were not after the PCOS machines as there were burglaries in the school in the past.

At least 200 books, an electric fan and several plastic chairs costing some P20,000 were destroyed in the fire, authorities said. – With Celso Amo