Village chief’s farm overseer shot dead

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police are looking into grudges in relation to work as a possible motive behind the death of a farm overseer in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental last Sunday.

Police identified the victim as Alfredo Cortez Jr., who works on the farm of a barangay captain.

Lieutenant Colonel Reynante Jomocan, city police chief, said the victim, along with his companion, were on board a motorcycle on their way home after buying cigarettes when they were waylaid by an unidentified person.

The suspect then allegedly shot the victim, while the latter’s companion ran to safety.

The victim suffered a gunshot wound in the chest and was declared dead in a hospital. His companion was unharmed.

Jomocan said that a witness had identified the suspect, but police refused to divulge his identity pending the filing of murder charges.

The victim replaced the suspect when the latter was no longer employed on the farm.

“Basi nagkahisa ining suspect kag nakakita tiempo that night,” he added.

Despite being identified as a worker of a barangay official, Jomocan said the incident was not considered election-related because the victim was not into politics.

The suspect is still at large, according to the police chief.