Batanes gov survives ambush in Pasay

MANILA, Philippines – Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos and his driver were shot and wounded in a pre-dawn attack by unidentified men in Pasay City yesterday.

Gunmen opened fire at Castillejos while he was in a Mitsubishi Pajero with his driver Albert Patimo at the tollgate of South Luzon Expressway in Merville Subdivision, police said.

Castillejos was wounded in the neck and shoulders, while Patimo, who was hit in the head, was reported in critical condition at the Parañaque Doctors’ Hospital. Castillejos’ son, Dominique, survived the attack and drove the pair to the hospital.

Pasay City police chief Senior Superintendent Marietto Valerio said the victims were on their way to the airport from the governor’s residence at Barangay Sun Valley in Parañaque City when they were ambushed at around 3:25 a.m.

Valerio said witnesses saw four gunmen alighting from a dark-colored sport utility van. The men opened fire when the victims’ Pajero reached the tollgate.

Valerio said spent shells of a 9mm pistol were recovered at the crime scene.

“We are still waiting for witnesses to come forward,” he said. 

Although the motive of the attack is unclear, investigators initially theorized it could have been politically motivated, Southern Police District (SPD) director Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman said.

“Though based on the information we have now, politics is most likely the reason behind it. We just need to confirm this,” Ticman said.

Ticman added the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has created a task force and started interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the crime scene.

“We are considering all possible angles, including private and public dealings of the governor,” CIDG-National Capital Region chief Senior Superintendent Ericson Velasquez said.

Velasquez said they are trying to contact STAR correspondent Jack Castaño, who reported that text messages were circulating in Batanes claiming Castillejos had been suspended for three months.

Castillejos went to Australia to attend a three-week familiarization trip with 25 other governors when text messages started to circulate that he was suspended from office.

“I am still your provincial governor. We do not get suspended by text messages,” Castillejos told The STAR in a text message from Australia.

Castillejos earlier claimed his supposed political enemies are behind a campaign to unseat him before the 2010 elections.

Condemnation

The Castillejos family issued a statement condemning the attack.

“An act like this was unthinkable in the Ivatan culture. Despite this, Batanes remains a peaceful place. The Ivatans are peace-loving people. As serious as it is, this is an isolated crime,” they said.

The Batanes provincial government also issued a statement “condemning in the strongest possible terms the dastardly act” the attack on Castillejos.

President Arroyo ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.

According to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, the President became angry when she learned of the slay try on Castillejos.

The Batanes governor is a ranking member of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), the political party founded by Mrs. Arroyo in 1998.

“The President specifically instructed the Secretary of Local Government and the chief PNP to conduct a very thorough investigation, identify the culprits and bring them to the courts of law,” Ermita said.

Ermita said the President was also surprised, particularly on initial reports that the slay try on Castillejos might be politically motivated.

He said Mrs. Arroyo noted that Batanes is one of the most peaceful places in the country, and any attack on Castillejos was not expected.

Members of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) also issued separate statements condemning the attack.

“We condemn the assassination attempt on Gov. Castillejos,” said Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone.

“We call on the PNP to immediately conduct an investigation and arrest the perpetrators. This violent act has no place in a civilized society and a flourishing democracy,” he said.

Oriental Mindoro Gov. Arman Panaligan, who was with Castillejos during the Australian trip, also called on the police to investigate the incident and unmask the perpetrators.

“I condemn this barbaric attempt against a decent and hardworking public servant. Political violence has no place in a democracy,” he said.

Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte, LPP chairman, said that even if the attack was not politically motivated, “the governors will not tolerate the careless disregard for the life and safety of one of our finest colleagues in the LPP. I condemn this brazen act of criminality.”

“The governors are enraged by this arrogant display of brutality and violence in the heart of our nation’s capital,” said LPP president Gov. Leo Ocampos of Misamis Oriental. –With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marvin Sy, Jack Castaño, Michael Punongbayan, Non Alquitran