2 aides of Bukidnon provincial bet slain

At least two supporters of a provincial candidate were killed in Bukidnon province after armed men ambushed their motorcycle convoy Thursday afternoon. Sun-Star Cagayan de Oro reported Friday that the ambush took place 4:30 p.m. in the farming village of Lingating in Baungon town. The motorcycle convoy belonged to Baungon municipal councilor Joseph Bahuyo, who is running for a seat in the Provincial Board in the province’s first district. Baungon town police chief Senior Inspector Bernardo Delfin identified the fatalities as Vicente Abagon and Yassir Apdillah. At least one passerby was wounded in the incident, he said. He said Bahuyo was not among those killed, and was treated for a foot injury in an undisclosed location. He said they were still gathering statements from witnesses. Police provincial director Senior Superintendent Juan Ratunil noted Lingating was also where armed men waylaid a municipal councilor last year. The incident prompted Commission on Elections (Comelec) Northern Mindanao director Dennis Ausan to study whether to make Baungon an "area of immediate concern." "We need to assess whether this is politically motivated or not. If it is, then we will act in accordance with Comelec guidelines," Ausan said. He said the Comelec places under "immediate concern" areas that have intense political rivalry, insurgency problems, and with past cases of election violence. Baungon is a fourth-class town in the northern part of Bukidnon, 132 km north of Malaybalay City. Initial investigation showed Bahuyo and 12 companions were riding on four motorcycles and were on their way to the councilor’s house in Barangay San Miguel when the ambush occurred. Recovered from the ambush scene were live ammunition from at least three high-powered firearms and a fragmentation hand grenade, Delfin said. It was not immediately known whether Bahuyo and his companions were armed when they were attacked. In March last year, Baungon Councilor Benito Pabillore sustained serious wounds when motorcycle-riding gunmen sprayed bullets on his vehicle while he was on his way to Cagayan de Oro City from Baungon. - GMANews.TV