Armed men ransack houses of two council members

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police have yet to identify the armed men who stormed the houses of two councilmen in Barangay 1, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental last Wednesday.

Police Captain Ryan Villasario, town police chief, said that 12 unidentified armed men simultaneously ransacked the houses of Kagawads Marciano Dizon, 54; and Jose Froilan Yap.

Villasario said the perpetrators allegedly threatened the two barangay officials at gunpoint and searched their houses for money.

When they failed to find the money, some of the armed men reportedly took the five cellular phones of Dizon and his family and fled on board a car.

Prior to the incident, the perpetrators told some bystanders in the area that they will be conducting a buy-bust operation, but they did not introduce themselves as police.

Villasario said they are looking into robbery as initial motive in the incident, although they do not discount the possibility that it could be politically motivated considering that barangay officials are tapped by local candidates in the local elections.

He, however, noted that they do not have concrete evidence yet to link the incident to the elections.

“Wala ta matum-ok kung sin-o naghimo sini nga harassment,” Villasario said, adding that the barangay officials had no threats prior to the incident.

Villasario said they are trying to look for closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage to help them in the investigation.