4 dead, 7 hurt as followers of Cavite mayor, rival clash

TRECE MARTIRES CITY — Four people, including a barangay councilman, were killed and seven others were wounded when armed supporters of this town’s re-electionist mayor and a rival independent candidate clashed last Tuesday night.

The incident occurred a day before local politicians were to sign an accord against electoral violence, Senior Superintendent Roberto Rosales, provincial police director, said.

The nearly 30-minute shootout involved the followers of Mayor Melencio Sagun and his challenger, Benigno Colorado.

Superintendent Roberto Soriano, provincial intelligence and investigation chief, said the incident might have been triggered by a telephone call of one Tess Distor to Colorado seeking protection from Sagun’s supporters who were reportedly surrounding her house.

Colorado promptly sent his men but on their way to Distor’s residence, they encountered Sagun’s followers at Capitol Hills Subdivision in Barangay Lapidario.

A verbal tussle ensued between the two groups, and then the shootout.

Rosales identified three of the fatalities as Teodoro de Jesus, 38, councilman of Barangay Gregorio; Ramon Villalon, a village homeowners’ president; and Noel Sierra, 37, a provincial jail guard, all belonging to Colorado’s camp.

The fourth fatality, who was in his thirties, remained unidentified as of press time, but Sagun believes he was one of his supporters involved in the incident.

Wounded were Denver Colorado, chairman of Barangay Gregorio; Jun Rollo, Julian Herrera, Angelito Garcia, Sierra’s brother Nebrado, and residents Annie Larbo and JP Buenaventura, who were caught in the crossfire.

Police found an Armalite rifle, an Uzi machine pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, assorted live and spent shells and six bullet-riddled cars at the scene of the clash.

Police arrested Jose Mojica, 42, a former Marine; and Marvin Villa, 26, a private bodyguard of Sagun. They were brought to the provincial police headquarters at Camp Pantaleon Garcia in Imus town for interrogation.

Security was stepped up in this town to prevent retaliatory attacks.

"We wanted to leave a legacy of having a zero number of election incidents but unfortunately, we had this horrible incident," Rosales told radio station dzRH.