by Meriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–Unidentified gunmen shot dead a barangay captain in front of his wife while he was attending to his farm on Saturday (Sept. 23) morning.
Police identified the victim as 59-year-old Tito Tablada Llamado who is running for re-election as barangay captain of Brgy. Anagasi in Paranas, Samar in the Barangay-Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) this coming October 30.
Initial police investigation stated that, while Llamado and his wife, were at their farm, armed men arrived and, without provocation, shot the re-electionist barangay captain who died on the spot.
The gunmen immediately left the scene, and authorities theorized that they could be members of the New People’s Army who probably wanted to gain political influence in the barangay the victim headed.
Barangay Anagasi is an interior barangay, one of 44 barangays of the coastal town of Paranas, the eastern border of which lies adjunct to Eastern Samar province. Anagasi can be reached from the población in a one-hour habal-habal (commuter motorcycle for hire) ride or about four hours of regular hiking.
The Police Regional Office-Region 8 issued a statement strongly condemning the killing of the barangay official.
The PRO-8 statement also disclosed that Llamado was actually a former NPA member who surrendered and returned to the fold of the law. He later became an active government partner, particularly in promoting the Task Foce-ELCAC program.
PRO-8 added that it will ensure the neutralization of the remaining rebels in Eastern Visayas to put a stop to the atrocities of these terrorists that break the peace in communities and kill people.—Meriam G. Desacada