ILOCOS SUR, Philippines – Gunmen shot dead Monday morning a judge of a Vigan City court while he was waiting for a ride to his office in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur.
Also Monday, a 60-year-old treasurer of an Ilocos Norte town was gunned down while he was on his way for work, a local police official said.
The police said the killing of Judge Reynaldo Lacasandile could be work-related. Senior Supt. Eduardo Dopale, director of the Ilocos Sur Police, said they have already created a special investigating task force to expedite the probe and arrest the suspects.
Lacasandile, who was recently appointed as judge of the Regional Trial Court Branch 20 in Vigan City, succumbed to two bullet wounds in the chest while undergoing treatment at the Tagudin Hospital.
“Possibly, it’s work-related. But we are verifying if he was handling sensitive case as a judge or his previous job as the provincial prosecutor of the second district of Ilocos Sur,” said Dopale in a phone interview.
Dopale said Lacasandile was waiting for a ride towards Vigan City in Barangay Lacung at 4:45 a.m. Monday when two armed men on board a motorcycle reportedly shot him at close range using a .45 pistol.
The official revealed that the victim would usually drive a motorcycle towards a highway where he would then ride a passenger bus towards Vigan City. He said the victim would leave his motorcycle in a nearby automotive shop and drive it again back home later in the evening.
“It’s his routine, he would just commute on his way to work and back home,” said Dopale.
Senior Supt. Agrimero Cruz, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said Task Force Lacansandile was tasked to leave no stone unturned in order to determine the motive behind the killing and arrest the perpetrators.
“The local police teams were also ordered to conduct a dragnet operation,” said Cruz.
Cruz said the family of the victim had already requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a medico-legal examination.
Over in Adams town, Ilocos Norte, Senior Supt. Marlou Chan, director of the Ilocos Norte Police, said Elpidio Sy, municipal treasurer of Adams town, died on the spot due to multiple bullet wounds he suffered.
Chan said Sy was riding a motorcycle driven by a certain Remigio Reyes when unidentified gunmen started shooting him on a national highway at the vicinity of Barangay Pancian in Pagudpud town at around 6 a.m. Monday.
By AARON RECUENCO
No comments:
Post a Comment