Barangay councilor gunned down in Malabon
Published Apr 10, 2019 06:43 pm
By Minka Klaudia Tiangco
A barangay councilor was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was onboard his motorcycle in Panghulo, Malabon City on Wednesday morning.
Dante Sih (PHOTO COURTESY OF CLARISA CONEL / MANILA BULLETIN)
P/Col. Jessie Tamayao, Malabon City police chief, identified the victim as Dante Sih, 53, resident of the area. Dante was on his first term as barangay councilor. He has also occupied the same position for three terms before.
Tamayao said Sih was buying food at a market along E. Rodriguez Street corner Mulawin Street in Malabon City at about 8:45 a.m. before the incident.
After he rode his motorcycle, a man who was wearing sunglasses, a t-shirt, and shorts, walked up to the barangay councilor and shot him close-range on the nape once, killing him instantly, the police chief said.
Witnesses described the gunman as someone dark-skinned and of medium height and built.
As the gunman walked away, he left a letter that says that the Armadong Rebolusyonaryong Manggagawa group claims to be behind the killing, according to one of the victim's relatives.
In the letter, the group claimed that the barangay councilor extorted money from poor vendors and was behind some of the killings and disappearances in Malabon.
"Hindi mag-aatubili ang Armadong Rebolusyonaryong Manggagawa na magsagawa ng mga asasinasyon sa sino mang yuyurak sa dangal ng mga mahihirap (The Armadong Rebolusyonaryong Manggagawa will not hesitate to assassinate anyone who will smear the dignity of the poor)," the letter read.
Sih's relative, who requested anonymity, took to Facebook to deny the group's claims.
"Kilalang-kilala tito ko bilang mabuting tao sa lugar namin. Ni wala 'yang inagrabyado. Napaka-sinungaling niyo! (My uncle is known for being a good person in our area. He did not aggravate anyone. You are liars!)" she said in a Facebook page.
"Mabait na tao po tito ko. Tumakbo po 'yang kagawad dito na walang pera. Ni walang pampagawa ng tarpaulin at padamit nung kampanya. Three consecutive terms po. Nanalo 'yan, independent (My uncle is a good man. He ran for barangay councilor without money. He did not even have funds to print tarpaulins and make t-shirts for his campaign. But he won as an independent candidate for three consecutive terms)," she told the Manila Bulletin in a chat message.
P/Maj. Ronald Carlos, Malabon City Police Station Investigation and Detection Management Branch chief, said they are still verifying the existence of the armed group.
Carlos also bared that Sih had received death threats three weeks before his death.
"May banta lang daw, pero hindi naman daw siya natakot, di naman siya naniwala kasi hindi naman daw siya abusado (There were threats to his life, but he was not scared and he did not believe the threats because he said he has not been abusive)," he said
Malabon City Mayor Antolin "Lenlen" Oreta III condemned the killing and called for immediate action from the police to solve the case.
The Malabon City government is offering P200,000 reward money to anyone who can give information on the gunman's identity and whereabouts.
The city mayor also called on candidates to avoid associating Sih's death to politics amid the election season.
"We also call on all sides to refrain from using this incident to fuel political competition and to cast doubts and suspicion on the conduct of fair, free, and honest elections at this time of grief until the investigation is fully resolved," Oreta's statement read.
But Malabon City Vice Mayor and mayoral candidate Jeannie Sandoval said Sih's death only proves that violence is prevalent in Malabon during the election period.
"His death in the hands of hired killers only signifies that threat and violence reign in Malabon during election period," her statement read.
"We call on the fast response and unbiased investigation of the PNP, DILG, and COMELEC of this tragic event where another public servant is killed mercilessly," she added. "Let us not let the impending of justice that happened to the killing of Barangay Councilman Dante Villaluna (Brgy. Concepcion) and Barangay Councilman Bienvenido Reyes Jr. (Brgy. San Agustin) in 2016 happen again."
Dante is the fifth councilor to be shot dead in Malabon since 2016, following City Councilor Tiger Mañalac, Barangay Concepcion Councilor Dante Villaluna, Barangay San Agustin Councilor Bienvenido Reyes, Jr., and Barangay Catmon Councilor Rodrigo Tambo.
The Philippine National Police also tagged Malabon as an election hotspot.
Both Tamayao and Carlos said they are treating Sih's death as an isolated case and are not considering the killing as election-related.
Tamayao said the Northern Police District is already arranging a task force who will investigate the barangay councilor's killing.
Dante Sih (PHOTO COURTESY OF CLARISA CONEL / MANILA BULLETIN)
P/Col. Jessie Tamayao, Malabon City police chief, identified the victim as Dante Sih, 53, resident of the area. Dante was on his first term as barangay councilor. He has also occupied the same position for three terms before.
Tamayao said Sih was buying food at a market along E. Rodriguez Street corner Mulawin Street in Malabon City at about 8:45 a.m. before the incident.
After he rode his motorcycle, a man who was wearing sunglasses, a t-shirt, and shorts, walked up to the barangay councilor and shot him close-range on the nape once, killing him instantly, the police chief said.
Witnesses described the gunman as someone dark-skinned and of medium height and built.
As the gunman walked away, he left a letter that says that the Armadong Rebolusyonaryong Manggagawa group claims to be behind the killing, according to one of the victim's relatives.
In the letter, the group claimed that the barangay councilor extorted money from poor vendors and was behind some of the killings and disappearances in Malabon.
"Hindi mag-aatubili ang Armadong Rebolusyonaryong Manggagawa na magsagawa ng mga asasinasyon sa sino mang yuyurak sa dangal ng mga mahihirap (The Armadong Rebolusyonaryong Manggagawa will not hesitate to assassinate anyone who will smear the dignity of the poor)," the letter read.
Sih's relative, who requested anonymity, took to Facebook to deny the group's claims.
"Kilalang-kilala tito ko bilang mabuting tao sa lugar namin. Ni wala 'yang inagrabyado. Napaka-sinungaling niyo! (My uncle is known for being a good person in our area. He did not aggravate anyone. You are liars!)" she said in a Facebook page.
"Mabait na tao po tito ko. Tumakbo po 'yang kagawad dito na walang pera. Ni walang pampagawa ng tarpaulin at padamit nung kampanya. Three consecutive terms po. Nanalo 'yan, independent (My uncle is a good man. He ran for barangay councilor without money. He did not even have funds to print tarpaulins and make t-shirts for his campaign. But he won as an independent candidate for three consecutive terms)," she told the Manila Bulletin in a chat message.
P/Maj. Ronald Carlos, Malabon City Police Station Investigation and Detection Management Branch chief, said they are still verifying the existence of the armed group.
Carlos also bared that Sih had received death threats three weeks before his death.
"May banta lang daw, pero hindi naman daw siya natakot, di naman siya naniwala kasi hindi naman daw siya abusado (There were threats to his life, but he was not scared and he did not believe the threats because he said he has not been abusive)," he said
Malabon City Mayor Antolin "Lenlen" Oreta III condemned the killing and called for immediate action from the police to solve the case.
The Malabon City government is offering P200,000 reward money to anyone who can give information on the gunman's identity and whereabouts.
The city mayor also called on candidates to avoid associating Sih's death to politics amid the election season.
"We also call on all sides to refrain from using this incident to fuel political competition and to cast doubts and suspicion on the conduct of fair, free, and honest elections at this time of grief until the investigation is fully resolved," Oreta's statement read.
But Malabon City Vice Mayor and mayoral candidate Jeannie Sandoval said Sih's death only proves that violence is prevalent in Malabon during the election period.
"His death in the hands of hired killers only signifies that threat and violence reign in Malabon during election period," her statement read.
"We call on the fast response and unbiased investigation of the PNP, DILG, and COMELEC of this tragic event where another public servant is killed mercilessly," she added. "Let us not let the impending of justice that happened to the killing of Barangay Councilman Dante Villaluna (Brgy. Concepcion) and Barangay Councilman Bienvenido Reyes Jr. (Brgy. San Agustin) in 2016 happen again."
Dante is the fifth councilor to be shot dead in Malabon since 2016, following City Councilor Tiger Mañalac, Barangay Concepcion Councilor Dante Villaluna, Barangay San Agustin Councilor Bienvenido Reyes, Jr., and Barangay Catmon Councilor Rodrigo Tambo.
The Philippine National Police also tagged Malabon as an election hotspot.
Both Tamayao and Carlos said they are treating Sih's death as an isolated case and are not considering the killing as election-related.
Tamayao said the Northern Police District is already arranging a task force who will investigate the barangay councilor's killing.