By Jigger J. Jerusalem,
NITZ ARANCON,
and Joey P. Nacalaban
Correspondents

AUTHORITIES yesterday said they are looking at politics as the probable motive in the shooting death of two village councilors in Bukidnon town on Monday.

According to Maj. Silvestre Asiong Jr., Bukidnon provincial police spokesperson, investigators are following several leads in the killing of the local officials, but they are zeroing in on politics.

“We are focusing our investigation on political motive as the reason for the shooting,” Asiong said in an interview. He did not elaborate.

Capt. Dominador Orate, Talakag police station commander, identified the victims as councilors Lorenzo Pedyaan and Mauricio Ginto. The two were elected officials at Barangay Dominorog, Talakag.

The victims were said to prominent personalities in Dominorog, which is about 54 kilometers away from the center of Talakag and is populated by members of the Higaonon tribe.

The report said the officials about to enter the barangay hall to attend the session when the shooting happened.

“The victims were on their way to attend the barangay session as it was scheduled at 9:00 am,” the report said.

Witnesses said a lone gunman approached Pedyaan and Guinto and shot them at point-blank range.

Pedyaan was shot on his chest and tried to run from the suspect but he fell down and died on the spot.

Guinto was hit on the left side of his head but was declared dead on arrival by Dr. Tiza Joy Araneta, the attending physician at the Bukidnon Provincial Hospital, the report added.

Staff Sgt. Ismael Balbutin, an investigator at Talakag municipal police station, said in a separate interview Tuesday that there were actually three suspects riding two motorcycles involved in the shooting.

He said two of the suspects, onboard one of the motorcycles, acted as a lookout.

“The lookouts positioned themselves near the barangay hall entrance. They must have signaled the gunman when they saw the two officials approaching the barangay hall,” Balbutin said.

Balbutin said that prior to the incident, the majority members of the Dominorog barangay council, which included Pedyaan and Guinto, filed five barangay resolutions against Judith Ocum, the village chairperson.

He said one of the village officials’ concerns was the barangay chair’s failure to report for duty.

As of this posting, Ocum cannot be reached for comment.

Balbutin said the Talakag police already have a list of persons of interest but they cannot yet release it to the public pending further investigation.

He added they will give the victims’ families and colleagues time to mourn and bury Pedyaan and Guinto before they can continue their investigation.