Ex-councilor gunned down in Negros Occidental sugarcane field

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — A 72-year-old former councilor of Isabela, Negros Occidental, was shot and killed by four unidentified armed men in Binalbagan town on Sunday.

Police Capt. Joelan Vinson, chief of Binalbagan Municipal Police Station, identified the victim as Dulfo, a farmer who also previously served as a soldier and as Barangay 4 captain in Isabela.

Investigation showed the victim was blocked and shot multiple times by the armed men in his leased sugarcane plantation in Barangay Payao, Binalbagan.

The victim sustained five gunshot wounds to the head, two to the body, and one to the thigh. The suspects fled on two separate motorcycles.

Recovered from the scene were three spent shells and a fired bullet from a .45-caliber pistol, and two spent shells from a 9mm-caliber firearm.

Vinson said it is possible the victim had been tailed and monitored by the perpetrators.

He refused to speculate on whether the killing could be linked to the victim’s background in politics or the military. He said investigators could not disclose further details pending the investigation.

Vinson said the victim had no police records based on a check with the Isabela police.

Police said they are having difficulty establishing a motive due to a lack of witnesses. Authorities are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Meanwhile, the decomposing body of a 66-year-old laborer was found in Sitio Tan-ao, Barangay Dian-ay, Escalante City on Sunday.

The victim was found with gunshot wounds to the head and lower back.

Investigation showed the victim had left his house and proceeded to Barangay Dian-ay proper to collect his salary. On his way through a secluded area beside a sugarcane plantation, he was allegedly shot by an unidentified person.

Three slugs from an unidentified firearm were recovered from the scene. Cross-matching analysis of the evidence was conducted to determine possible links to other recorded incidents.

Despite police insistence on conducting a post-mortem examination, the victim’s immediate family declined and opted to bury the remains, saying they had already accepted his death, according to police.