Town council bet guns down brothers

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A man running for a Sangguniang Bayan (town council) seat in Ajuy, Iloilo is on the run after he allegedly killed two brothers Wednesday evening.

Police identified the suspect as Ronald Causing, 50, of Barangay Pili, Ajuy.

The incident, which happened just outside Causing’s house around 7:55 p.m., claimed the lives of Edmon Articulo, 36, and Ramon Articulo, 22, also residents of Pili village.

Prior to the incident, Edmon bought something from a store opposite Causing’s house. He left with no untoward incident and went to a relative’s house.

Shortly later, Edmon went back to the area. But this time around, he had Ramon in tow.

Police reports indicated that the two victims were drunk when the incident happened.

Lieutenant Danilo Noca, Ajuy police chief, said the victims were shouting in a bid to provoke Causing to get out of his house.

The two parties have old grudges several years back.

In 2018, Causing booked a report at the police station claiming that the brothers have been provoking him to a fight.

The Articulos had also accused the suspect before the barangay lupon.

“We referred these incidents to the barangay for resolution,” Noca said citing that the two parties were just provoking each other through words.

The real reason for the bad blood between the two camps remains unclear.

Causing is into the lending business while the younger Articulo worked as a driver and farmer. Edmon, on the other hand, was a househusband while his wife is a government employee.

During Wednesday’s shooting episode, Causing might have snapped after the suspects were heard saying, “Sagi kapadalagan nga indi man magdaog.” (Why run if you wouldn’t win.)

As the two suspects were talking on top of their voices outside their house, gunshot was heard.

Ramon then fell to the pavement with a gunshot wound on the right side of his chest.

Edmon ran but Causing went out of the gate and shot him on the chest.

The wounded Edmon was able to run a few more meters before he fell to the ground.

But Causing chased and peppered him with bullets.

Edmon suffered around 16 gunshot wounds – three on his chest, three on his thighs, one on his buttock, and nine on his legs.

The victims were rushed to Sara District Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival.

Causing, on the other hand, immediately fled after the incident and remains at large as of this writing.

Noca said they conducted a hot pursuit operation against Causing but to no avail.

Police recovered from the crime scene caliber .45 ammunition shells.