Bar Fracas Mayor's son gunned down

SARA, ILOILO, Philippines — Eight pellet wounds ended the life of Neptaly Salcedo, son of this town’s Mayor Neptali Salcedo Sr. and half-brother of Vice Mayor Neptali Salcedo Jr.

This early, though, police investigators brushed off insinuations that the death of Neptaly was politically-motivated. Instead, Iloilo Police Provincial Office director Sr. Supt. Gil Lebin tagged the shooting episode as having stemmed from “hinubog” or drunkenness.

Neptaly was gunned down inside a KTV bar at the town’s Poblacion before midnight of Wednesday. He was with some friends when an argument occurred between them and another group of Sammy Andaya and brothers Roxin and Richard Bascoquin, all residents of Brgy. Malapaya of this town.

Andaya’s group were allegedly shouting and talking on top of their voice, prompting Neptaly’s companion to chide the former into lowering their voices.

Chief Insp. Willy Diel, Sara Police chief, said this ensued into an exchange of words, which was however settled eventually with the group of Andaya leaving the bar.

Shortly after, however, Roxin Bascoguin, armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, returned to the bar and fired Neptaly’s companion, but it jammed. Roxin again pulled the trigger and, this time, the gun went off but it hit Neptaly who was sitting with his back at the triggerman.

Neptaly was wounded and was rushed to the Sara District Hospital where he was however declared dead on arrival.

The police immediately conducted pursuit operations on the suspects resulting in Andaya’s arrest. The Bascoguin brothers remained at large, as of presstime.

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, Jr., Police Regional Office-6 director, ordered a manhunt operation against the brothers while appealing to the Salcedos to exercise calmness, difficult as it may be. “We hope that they won’t put the law into their hands and we assure them that we would do everything to bring appropriate justice,” Cruz said.  

Municipal legal officer James Balsomo said the family will seek every legal remedy available to them. “As a father, Mayor Salcedo is pained by what happened but we would follow the law,” he said.

The slain Salcedo was the son of the mayor from another family, and whose mother is based in Mindanao. His half-sister, Jeneda Salcedo-Orendain, is the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay–Iloilo province, while his other half-brother, Jesus, is now a candidate for Provincial Board member of Iloilo’s 5th district. (FREEMAN)