Re-elected Masbate village chief killed in cemetery

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – A re-elected barangay chairman in Masbate was gunned down while obser­ving All Saints’ Day in a public cemetery, the military said.

Reports reaching the Army’s 9th Infantry Division said the victim, Vicente Lacbayug, chairman of Barangay Dayhagan in Aroroy town, was attacked by two men and died while being rushed to the hospital due to multiple bullet wounds from a caliber .45 pistol.

Maj. Harold Cabunoc, 9th ID spokesman, said Lacbayug had received threats from the New People’s Army (NPA) before the incident.  

Cabunoc quoted a relative of Lacbayug as saying that the village official had gone into hiding before the Oct. 25 elections “because of grave threats from the NPA bandits.”

Cabunoc added that Lacbayug was forced to sign a petition against the Filminera mining firm but refused.

Lacbayug reportedly returned to his barangay prior to the elections to file his certificate of candidacy.  

“We are also not sure if a political opponent is behind this killing. We are trying to identify the perpetrators through some witnesses who have now surfaced,” Cabunoc said.

Cabunoc said at least three people were killed during the barangay polls in Masbate, a perennial election hot spot.

A total of 69 villages in Masbate were declared as “category 1” hot spots or those with intense political rivalries.

On the other hand, 103 villages in the province were placed under “category 2” or areas with a strong presence of communist rebels.  – Alexis Romero, Celso Amo