Village official survives ambush in Calatrava

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police are looking into three angles as possible motives behind the ambush against a barangay official in Barangay Laga-an , Calatrava, Negros Occidental last Saturday.

Police Major Lumyaen Lidawan, town police chief, said Barangay Kagawad Nelson Panogan, 51, was onboard his vehicle when one of the six unidentified armed persons shot him.

Lidawan said Panogan managed to crawl below his vehicle then hid in the sugarcane field until the armed men fled.

When the victim saw the blinker of the police car, he then sought assistance from them, Lidawan said.

Panogan was unharmed.

Lidawan said the armed men riddled the victim’s car with bullets, mostly hitting the lower portion of the driver’s side.

Lidawan said they are probing if the incident could be linked to insurgency, considering that rebels were sighted in the area.

Police are also looking into personal or work-related since Panogan is a consultant of a construction firm.

But Lidawan said the victim did not receive threats that could be linked to the attack.

Police recovered from the scene six cartridges of caliber .9mm ammunition and a deformed slug.

Lidawan said they are also considering the possibility that the gunmen were hired.

Panogan is on his last term after being in politics for 13 years, according to Lidawan.