Cagayan vice governor's kin, pal hurt, driver killed in ambush

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines  – A sister-in-law of Cagayan Vice Gov. Leonides Fausto and a male companion were wounded while her driver was killed in an ambush in Tuao town last Friday night in what sympathizers believe had something to do with tomorrow’s barangay polls. 

Police said Fausto’s sister-in-law, Lenie Fausto, 42, was still fighting for her life at the Saint Paul Hospital in Tuguegarao City due to bullet wounds in the chest.

Lenie worked as the vice governor’s executive assistant.

Senior Superintendent Mao Aplasca, Cagayan police director, said Lenie’s companion, Michael Pagaduan, was also wounded in the ambush, which, however, left driver Sofronio Mamba, a provincial government employee, dead. 

 “We are now investigating the incident. Our operatives are already in the area to go after the perpetrators,” Aplasca said. 

The victims had reportedly just distributed relief goods to residents affected by typhoon “Juan” and were on their way to join the campaign trail of allies running in the barangay polls when they were waylaid in Alabiao village.

“We believe this is all politics and connected with the barangay elections. (Our detractors) have been harassing us,” Vice Gov. Fausto said.

Fausto, who is allied with Gov. Alvaro Antonio, is a close relative of the Mambas. Antonio defeated former three-term congressman Manuel Mamba for the governorship in the last elections. 

Fausto and the Mambas used to be political allies until the former sided with Antonio in the last elections over the former congressman, whose brother Francisco is the incumbent mayor of Tuao town.

Mamba, however, denied any link to the incident, saying he also had blood ties with the victims. 

“It’s unfair to accuse anybody of involvement in this incident without any proof. We are not even intervening in their campaigning in the town during these barangay elections,” the former lawmaker said.

“This may be related to a case filed before the Commission on Audit against (the vice governor) involving millions of pesos of barangay funds,” added Mamba, without elaborating.