EDITORIAL - Cycle of violence

That was one impressive single shot, hitting the bull’s eye from a distance of approximately 150 meters. Ordnance experts said the fragmentation of the projectile, fired probably from an M14 rifle, indicated the use of a hollow-point or dumdum bullet.

The hollow-point, which expands upon impact to inflict maximum harm, is banned for use in warfare, but remains in use in conflict zones and is popular among certain gun enthusiasts and criminal organizations. Who has access to such bullets in this country? And how many shooters can hit the heart of a target standing approximately 150 meters away?

All these observations have led to the conclusion that the person who killed Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili as he was standing and singing the National Anthem on Monday morning was no ordinary hired gun on a motorcycle but a pro. Such a sharpshooter can easily pick off more mayors and other targets.

Such concerns were raised by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, a native of Batangas, who noted that two other victims had been killed by snipers in the province. In June last year, Balete Mayor Joven Hidalgo was shot dead while watching a basketball game at a court beside the police station in his town. The shot was fired from a white van parked at a distance.

Recto noted that in September last year, a sniper also killed the 81-year-old uncle of Batangas City Mayor Beverley Dimacuha-Mariño. Victim Ruben Dimacuha was also the brother of the city’s former mayor Eddie Dimacuha.

The two murders are unsolved, prompting Recto to warn that a sniper is on the loose in his province. With lax gun control and the anonymity enjoyed by motorcycle riders, it has become ridiculously easy to kill in this country. Having sharpshooters murdering for a living adds another dimension to the danger already posed by assassins for hire.

A day after Halili was gunned down, another mayor – Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio town in Nueva Ecija – was shot dead by men on a motorcycle as his car emerged from the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan City. Bote’s wife was critically wounded. The gunman was no sniper, but he proved just as deadly.

Mayors, priests, and long before them, journalists, activists and legal professionals – no one is safe in this country, and no one is brought to justice. The assassins are becoming more sophisticated. This cycle of violence has to stop.

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