TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Seven of 10 people who barged into the headquarters of a candidate in Rizal town in this province have been charged with robbery with violence and intimidation against a person on Sunday, May 8.
Col. Peter Tagtag, Jr., provincial director of the Kalinga Provincial Police Office, said the cases against the suspects, namely, Ruben Bennas, Jul Binto, Valentine Valdez, Denmark Siag, Michael Bistay, Allan Jay Palicpic and Jeramil Pinated -- who are all residents of Lubauagan, Kalinga – were filed before the Kalinga Prosecutor’s Office.
The three other suspects who remain at large are Roy Mangik, Bawas Bali-wang, and Ruben Bennas.
Based on the investigation, the 10 suspects aboard a blue truck and two motorcycles arrived at the headquarters of congressional candidate Allen Jesse Mangaoang at around 3 a.m. on May 7.
Roy Mangik got out of the vehicle and fired his gun four times. Thereafter, the three other suspects -- Dino Mangik, Bawas Bali-wang and Ruben Bennas -- pulled out their guns and entered the headquarters where Noreen Joy, 24, Mary Joy Pio, 36 and Gladys Gabino 32 (who are all of Barangay Liwan, Rizal, Kalinga) were busy arranging paperworks for the appointment of poll watchers.
The police, quoting the witnesses, said that the armed men seemed to be looking for someone.
The suspects allegedly took the folders and papers from the table, including a shoulder bag of the victim and quickly fled the area.
According to Tagtag, the names of the suspects were easily identified since one of the staff inside the headquarters knew the suspects as they are of the same Lubuagan town.
The incident was immediately reported to the Rizal Municipal Police Station and checkpoints were immediately set up at the town's exit points.
Later, the Tabuk City Police Station relayed that they had intercepted a truck in Barangay Nambaran, Tabuk City, which was driven by Valentin Valdez and carrying seven men as well as the shoulder bag.
Kalinga province is one of the areas of concern of the police and Commission on Election due to the election violence in the past elections.