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DAVAO CITY – “I did not kill them.”

Thus insisted Davao del Sur first district Rep. Claude Bautista, belying allegations that he was the one who fatally shot a mayoralty candidate and his son in Malita town last Wednesday afternoon.

Bautista admitted though that he was there when his bodyguard, a certain Tito Alipaopao, a former Army soldier, shot Lakas-CMD bet Isidro Sarmiento and his son, Danilo, after the mayoral aspirant allegedly aimed a gun at him.

Sarmiento and his son, who was running for provincial board member, were killed outside their residence in Barangay Poblacion, Malita town.

“It was my bodyguard who pushed me aside when he saw the elder Sarmiento coming out of their house brandishing a gun and firing at me. It was my bodyguard who shot him and eventually also his son,” Bautista said.

Chief Superintendent Andres Caro II, Southern Mindanao police director, said a task force was formed to look into the case.

“A full investigation is ongoing and we are looking at every angle. We have taken the necessary paraffin tests on the victims and Bautista,” Caro said.

Sarmiento was pitted against the congressman’s brother, incumbent Davao del Sur Gov. Benjamin Bautista Jr., who decided to instead run for Malita mayor.

Bautista said he and his group went to the Sarmientos’ residence after receiving reports that father and son had copies of election returns that were supposed to be used for canvassing at the municipal hall.

Bautista said he had an altercation with Danilo and his father “came out of their house with a gun and was already firing at me.”

Meanwhile, the canvassing of election returns in Malita had to be suspended Wednesday night and transferred to the capital, Digos City.

“I think the canvassing in Malita was already 90 percent complete but it had to be continued in Digos for security purposes,” Caro said.

Bautista insisted that he did not have any motive to kill the Sarmientos who he said he considered more as relatives.

“The elder Sarmiento served my father for a long time. He was already like a family to us. So I could not kill him,” he said.

Besides, he said his brother was leading Sarmiento by 95 percent in the tabulation.

“We were just there at their house in an effort to protect our votes. The question was, why would they (Sarmientos) bring the election returns to their house when these were supposed to be at the municipal hall,” he said.