A man whom Governor Roel Degamo claimed to be his supporter was shot dead in Bayawan City but the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) said the incident was not election-related.
NOPPO director Col. Germano Mallari said on Wednesday the victim, Leodegario B. Pastor Jr., 60, of Barangay Villasol in Bayawan City, was shot on Tuesday afternoon while he was bringing his carabao to pasture.
“While the governor said that the victim was his supporter, there are parameters for the police to follow to determine whether an incident is election-related or not,” Mallari said.
Police identified the suspect as Miller Talayra Mirafuentes, also of Villasol village and a member of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) assigned in the detachment of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Barangay Manduao, Bayawan City.
Initial police investigation said the suspect was believed to be drunk when he shot the victim.
The victim was rushed to the Kalumboyan Primary Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
“We do not believe that this is election-related because the victim is a utility worker of the Villasol elementary school and has a good reputation there and there are no indications that he is actively involved in election campaigning,” Mallari said in mixed English and Cebuano.
There is also no evidence linking the shooting to the insurgency problem, he added.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Roderick Salayo, commanding officer of the 11IB, said the shooting arose from a “personal grudge”.
“It had nothing to do with the suspect being a member of the CAFGU and in relation to our campaign against the insurgency,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.
The suspect is now a subject of a manhunt.
Source: Philippines News Agency