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KILLINGS CONTINUE

Death toll from Negros Oriental shootings rises as ex-mayor, 3 others killed


The death toll from the series of shooting incidents in Negros Oriental in the last nine days further increased with the killing of a former mayor and three others on Saturday morning.

The Provincial Police Office of Negros Oriental identified two of the victims as former Ayungon mayor Edsel Gimang Enardecido, 60, and his cousin Leo Enardecido, 45.

Initial police reports revealed unidentified armed men entered the house of Enardecido at Barangay Tampocon 1 in Ayungon town at about 2:30 a.m. then gunned him down.

His cousin Leo also died from the same attack.

Two hours earlier, in another incident, Canlaon City Councilor Ramon Jalandoni, 65, of Barangay Panubigan; and Barangay Captain Ernesto Posadas of Panubigan, Canlaon City, were also shot dead separately.

The shooting incident involving Jalandoni happened in Canlaon City when suspected members of the New People's Army entered his house and shot him at 12:14 a.m.

The armed men then vandalized Jalandoni's car and a wall of his house with the words "Mabuhay ang NPA [New People's Army]... Ibagsak si Duterte (Long live the NPA... Down with Duterte)."

Twenty six minutes after, at around 12:40 a.m., unidentified gunmen also broke into Posadas' house and shot him dead. The suspects also wrote "Mabuhay ang NPA" on the wall of Posadas' house before leaving via white van.

Canlaon City police investigators believed Jalandoni and Posadas could have been killed by the same group based on the pattern of the crimes.

Killing spree

The four killings on Saturday brought to 19 the number of slays in Negros Occidental in the last nine days, since July 18, when four policemen were tortured and killed by alleged NPA rebels.

The slain lawmen were:

  • Police Corporal Relebert Beronio
  • Patrolman Raffy Callao
  • Patrolman Ruel Cabellon
  • Patrolman Marquino de Leon

An arrested suspected has already squealed on his six supposed accomplices. He said 20 others, whose identities he did not know, were also involved in the torture and killings.

The other victims killed were:

  • Marlon Ocampo (Santa Catalina town)
  • Ocampo's one-year-old son (Santa Catalina)
  • Romeo Alipan, barangay chair (Guihulngan)
  • Arthur Bayawa, principal of the Guihulngan City Science HS (Guihulngan)
  • Ardale Bayawa, city school division office chief (Guihulngan)
  • Raklin Astorias (Siaton)
  • lawyer Anthony Trinidad (Guihulngan)
  • Ingwi Fabugays (Dumaguete City)
  • rebel returnee Wenny Alegre (Zamboangita)
  • peasant leader Felimino Janayan (Zamboangita)
  • Reden Eleuterio (Ayungon)

The Philippine National Police is still investigating if the shooting incidents are all related. — MDM, GMA News

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