by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City -Four unidentified men arrived, on two motorcycles, and barged into the barangay hall of Daja Diot in San Isidro, Leyte around 9 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 24) and shot Barangay Captain Elizalde “Otam” Tabon, his brother-in-law, tanod Rusty Salazar, and Kagawad Paulo Al “Intoy” Mindero, who all died on the spot. Another Barangay Tanod Alex Bacor was rushed ro North Western hospital in Calubian town.
San Isidro police said that the victims were working overtime to finalize the list of beneficiaries for educational assistance of P3,000 each that will be distributed by Representative Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon (3rd district, Leyte) thru the DSWD.
The mother of Barangay ChairmanTabon, Narissa said in a separate interview by the local media that their family including Captain Tabonlocal was a long-time ally and supporter of former Rep. Vicente “Ching” Veloso, the father of incumbent Rep. Veloso-Tuazon. Incidentally, San Isidro town is headed by Mayor Remedio “Bebot” Balmoria Veloso.
Initial police investigation showed that the four gunmen arrived in pair riding on two motorcycles, one black and the other red.
Investigation of the killing is still going on after processing of the crime scene, while police checkpoints have been set up at possible escape routes of the perpetrators around San Isidro and other border towns.
Local journalists are set to ask P/Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Pawid, regional director of the Police Regional Office-8 (PRO-8), for reaction to the killing of five people in San Isidro right inside the barangay hall where the victims were working late Saturday night to serve the public.
By the way, it can be recalled that a politician, who asked not to be named, commented three days ago that he will now involve himself in the 3rd district of Leyte after Ching Veloso hinted to run as congressman of the 4th district of Leyte instead.
Earlier on Friday (Feb. 23), Barangay Kagawad Tete Cajes was shot dead at Brgy. Tag-abaca in Leyte, Leyte—a town east of San Isidro—where a number of barangay officials had been killed in the past, with the crimes to this day still unresolved or undetermined if triggered by politics.
Further earlier on Wednesday (Feb. 21), Rolando Palacio, a kagawad and resident of Brgy. Sta. Rosa in Tabango, Leyte was shot dead near the NAPOCOR plant site at Brgy. Tugas of the same town, which is adjacent to San Isidro.
Police investigations are continuing into these two shootings to determine the motive, the perpetrators, and possibly the people behind the killings.
In the adjoining 4th district of Leyte, right at Ormoc City on Friday last week (Feb. 16), Barangay Captain Patricio Laude was gunned down at Brgy. Catmon of the city, reportedly near the house of his Kagawad Christopher Masimong who was also wounded in the incident.
As of today, the Ormoc City Police had already announced that they had already identified three persons-of-interest in the killing of Laude, who was only elected as brgy chief in the recent elections after serving as kagawad of the same barangay.
Meanwhile, P/Col. Erwin Portillo, director of the Leyte Provincial Police, told the media that four murder cases have already been filed relative to the four killings and shooting incidents in the 3rd district recently.
Portillo said a total of 200 policemen had been deployed to the district since the 4th quarter of last year purportedly to address criminality in that part of Leyte.
“The problem is that criminals attack at places where there were no policeman at a particular time. Another big problem is that witnesses are afraid to testify to help the police solve the crimes,” he said.
It was learned that the still unresolved killings in the 3rd and 4th districts had started as early as 2022, with violence continuing to escalate with impunity to this day. —Miriam G. Desacada