PRO8 upbeat of a peaceful polls in EV

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
May 1, 2013

CAMP KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte – The Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) is confident of a peaceful conduct of the midterm elections in Eastern Visayas in spite of a shooting incident in Calbayog City on Tuesday afternoon resulting in the death of a village chair and the wounding of two others.

“Eastern Visayas remains peaceful less than two weeks before the elections. Continuous implementation of election-related security measures is being undertaken by our men,” said Police Chief Superintendent Elmer Ragadio Soria, PRO8 Regional Director.

Soria made the assessment amid a shooting incident in Calbayog City in Samar’s first district resulting in the death of Brgy. Bagong Lipunan chairman Amado Lauyon and the wounding of his son, Rindo, and by-stander Donie Palomas.

“This is an isolated incident and it will not in any way affect the electoral proceedings in the area or create a form of political tension that could eventually upset the electoral process,” he added.

Reports reaching PRO8 disclosed that Lauyon was waylaid along the national highway in Purok 1, Brgy. Matobato, infront of Matobato Elementary School, by riding-in-tandem suspects and sustained several gunshot wounds on different parts of his body resulting to his immediate death.

His son, Rindo, also a village councilor, and Palomas, were also wounded in the incident.

Police are now preparing murder and frustrated murder charges against the suspects, identified by witnesses as Reynaldo Dealagdon alias Bolon, Eddie Fermino alias Bolondoy, and three others who are now the subject of manhunt operations. It was also learned that suspect Dealagdon has a pending arrest warrant for murder.

The elder Lauyon is listed as a member of the Montealto private armed group who surrendered to PNP Chief Police Director General Alan LM. Purisima when he visited PRO8 headquarters last January 19.

Soria also directed a thorough validation if the case could be classified as election-related incident or due to other reasons like personal motive or vendetta attack.

Relatedly, the police regional director has ordered a stepped-up campaign against wanted persons, partisan armed groups and loose firearms in Samar and other parts of the region.

So far, PRO8 had already arrested 117 individuals, mostly civilians, for violating the gun ban, the latest of which was the arrest of three persons – Diego Calagos, Ireneo Dealagdon and Cezar Saloritos – in a Comelec checkpoint in Brgy. Balud, Sta. Margarita, Samar past midnight Tuesday.

Policemen manning the checkpoint seized two caliber .45 pistols, a homemade shotgun and several rounds of ammunitions from the suspects who were on board a silver gray Mitsubishi Pajero bearing plate number YBW 620.