ZAMBOANGA CITY - Police are looking into the possibility that the reported strafing of the house of a political supporter in Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur last Friday, April 15, was election-related.
P/Maj. Shellamie Chang, Police Regional Office-9 Public information Officer, said the house owner, Saldy Mainar Lazaga, 38, a job order worker at the Bayog local government, is an active campaign leader of mayoralty candidate Celso Matias of the Lakas-CMD party.
Lazaga was with his wife, Anadelia Ponpon Lazaga, a day care worker, and two of their children when the incident happened.
Chang said the Lazaga family was awakened by gunfire coming from the road at around 1:30 a.m.
When the strafing ceased, Lazaga brought his family to a neighbor’s house some 50 meters away. Fortunately, all of them were unharmed.
Police investigators found 16 fired cartridge cases of a caliber 5.56 mm at the crime scene with 14 bullet holes in the walls of the victim’s bedroom.
Chang said the incident is suspected to be election-related.