Farmer gunned down

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – The Ilog Municipal Police Station in Negros Occidental is looking into insurgency-related reasons or revenge as possible angles in the death of a farmer at Sitio Manggubot, Barangay Pinggot last Tuesday.

Virgel Loquinario, 38, of the said village, was gunned down by five armed persons.

Police Major John Ganzon, town police chief, said that Loquinario’s wife saw him talking to five persons a few meters away from their house before he was shot to death at close range.

The victim succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in the head, back, and other parts of his body. The perpetrators, who were reportedly armed with unidentified long and short firearms, fled.

Ganzon said they are still conducting a follow-up operation to identify the gunmen. The incident happened in the upland part of the village, which is considered a rebel stronghold, prompting the police to ask assistance from the Philippine Army.

He said that the victim had been staying in the village for two years now after he left the neighboring town of Cauayan, where he reportedly got involved in a crime there.