Protest vs mining pier, politics eyed in mayor’s killing
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan , Philippines – Police have formed a special group to go after the killers of Infanta town Mayor Ruperto Martinez who was shot dead in his residence last Saturday.
Senior Superintendent Mariano Luis Verzosa Jr., acting police director, yesterday said they are zeroing in on a mining pier project in Infanta which some residents are opposing, and politics as possibly involved in Martinez’s slay.
Earlier Saturday, some 600 residents held a rally at the mining pier site.
Verzosa said though Martinez was already inclined to revoke the project’s permit because he felt the people did not want it and that the permit holder allegedly reneged on conditions like building roads.
“Maybe there are groups that want to regain foothold and would do things with great impact by exploiting the mining issue,” he said.
He said Martinez, on his third and final term as mayor, filed his candidacy for vice mayor in the 2013 polls. “He was a politician so we also consider politics,” he said.
In a statement, the Liberal Party’s provincial chapter condemned Martinez’s killing, saying it further firms up its support for the inclusion of Pangasinan among the poll hotspots.
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