CEBU, Philippines - An unidentified gunman shot at the headquarters of mayoralty candidate Adoracion Cabrera in Barangay Talisay, Sta. Fe town past midnight yesterday.
No one was hurt in the shooting, but a bullet pierced through the campaign billboards of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Congressman Benjur Salimbangon. Police later recovered three empty shells and a slug of a .9mm pistol from the crime scene.
Ten people were at the headquarters at that time, including Ely Senangote, Salimbangon’s political consultant.
Senangote personally went to the Sta. Fe Police Station and testified that the gunman arrived about 12:40 am on board a red motorcycle. The suspect reportedly fired the shots near the headquarters.
Sr. Insp. Leoncio Baliguat, chief of the Sta. Fe police, said Senangote himself has received a death threat through a text message reportedly sent to him around 5:37 pm on April 21. The message reportedly reads, “Pare pag hindi ka umalis dito sa Sta. Fe patay ka, itumba ka namin.”
Baliguat said it is possible that the threat was connected to the shooting and that Baliguat was the target.
Baliguat said he already instructed his men to investigate the incident thoroughly and to also check Senangote’s background, considering that he is not a native of Sta. Fe not is living in the municipality or in mainland Cebu.
Prior to the incident in Sta. Fe, other shooting incidents believed to be election-related also occurred in Bogo City and Tabuelan town. (FREEMAN NEWS)