Mayoral bet shot dead in front of Comelec office

(Update) A mayoral bet of Sta. Fe town in Bantayan island was shot dead in front of the Commission on Elections office in Cebu City Wednesday, a radio report said. Radio dzBB identified the victim as former Sta. Fe town Mayor Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. He had just attended a Comelec hearing and was walking about three or four meters from the Comelec office when two men, on board a motorcycle, approached him and fired. Initial reports also had it that local Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives managed to arrest at least one of the gunmen who killed Ilustrisimo Sr. (This report was later denied by police.) Ilustrisimo, a former mayor of Sta. Fe, was shot about 10:30 a.m. just as he emerged from a hearing on a disqualification case lodged against him before the Commission on Elections. For the past several weeks, Ilustrisimo was at the center of political tension in otherwise tranquil Bantayan Island, which is considered an election area of concern. On April 7, Ilustrisimo, presently a town councilor, faced off with rival Domingo Zaspa over loud music at a beach resort. Ilustrisimo said Zaspa's resort had no permit to hold a concert there, and that he had no permit to fence off the shoreline, which forced those wanting to cross to swim. On the other hand, Zaspa claimed two of his men were wounded when Ilustrisimo and his companions tore down a fence he built in his resort. Police Insp. Felix Lapera said it was only the presence of police personnel that kept the two parties away from each other. On the other hand, additional police troops were sent to Bantayan Island after a political supporter was shot at, as he was on his way to a campaign sortie. Central Visayas regional police director Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr. has ordered them to regularly conduct checkpoints in the island as a deterrent to armed persons allegedly roaming the island on motorcycles. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday that it has recorded a total of 97 election-related incidents since the start of the campaign period for the May elections on January 14. PNP records showed that of the total incidents, 31 candidates and political supporters had been killed due to intense political rivalries in their respective areas. - GMANews.TV