By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY—The chief of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) created a special investigation team to look into the June 20 killing of two village officials in Tubungan town.
“This is considered as significant incident. A more focused investigation is required to establish the motive of the killing and the identities of the suspects,” said IPPO Director
Colonel Paul Kenneth Lucas.
Village councilor Harold “Bornok” Tablazon of Ago village and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson Glenn Bunda of Tagpuan village were peppered with bullets while onboard a motorcycle Saturday night.
The unknown suspect or suspects fired a total of 32 shots at the 33-year-old Tablazon and 20-year-old Bunda. The victims were on their way home from Iloilo City, where they work for a company that installs solar panels.
“As of the time being, we don’t know what the motive is or who is behind the murders,” said Tubungan Police Chief Lieutenant Jose Romel Samson.
In a phone interview, Samson told The Manila Bulletin there was no witness as the incident occurred in a far-flung area.
Samson also denied tagging Tablazon as a former New People’s Army (NPA) member. The town’s police chief explained some local residents claimed Tablazon was a rebel returnee, but there were no records to prove this.
The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) condemned the murder of Tablazon and Bunda. In a statement, the student organization identified Tablazon as a peasant leader.