Another student leader shot dead in Camarines Norte

DAET, Camarines Norte — Another member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and president of a school-based organization was shot dead by a still unidentified gunman the other day here near the main gate of the Camarines Norte State College (CNSC).

Senior Superintendent Enrico Amor, Daet police chief, identified the victim as Farly Alcantara II, 22, a graduating student of AB Economics at CNSC.

Initial police investigation showed that Alcantara suffered two gunshot wounds coming from a caliber .45 pistol in his left temple and nose. He was shot five times while driving a motorcycle together with a professor some five meters away from CNSC’s main gate.

The teacher was unhurt.

Embit Icat, guard-on-duty at the CNSC’s main gate during the shooting, said he failed to recognize the suspect because tricycle drivers and other bystanders near the crime scene scampered away together with the gunman after the shooting.

Sonia Carbonel, CNSC’s director of the Office of Student Services (OSS), said Alcantara was the president of the school’s Junior Economics Society (JES) in its College of Administration department. She, however, denied any knowledge of the victim’s involvement in other movements or organizations outside CNSC.

Early in November last year, Jason Belen, who was the secretary-general of party-list Bayan Muna in Camarines Norte, was also shot dead by still unidentified gunmen.

Alcantara is being considered by militant groups here as the eighth student leader who was shot dead in the Bicol region since 2006.

Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, Bicol police director, said he had ordered a thorough investigation on the incident.

John Concepcion of Task Force Karapatan condemned the killing and blamed the military for the incident.