Batangas councilor bet killed in ambush

MANILA, Philippines - A candidate for councilor in Batangas was killed in an ambush yesterday. 

Domasino Mabilangan Jr., 51, a resident of Barangay San Pablo in Sto. Tomas town was jogging along the national highway when motorcycle-riding gunmen waylaid him around 6:30 a.m., said Superintendent Noel Donato Nuñez, Sto. Tomas police chief. 

Mabilangan was hit in the head and body and died at the scene. 

Police are eyeing either a  land dispute or politics as the motive for the killing.Mabilangan was the president of a farmers’ association with a pending case in court.

“The victim received death threats from an unidentified caller two weeks ago,” Nuñez said.  

Nuñez said they would review footage taken by surveillance cameras at the scene to identify the assailants.

Mabilangan was  a brother of Leopoldo “Ka Hector” Mabilangan, former New People’s Army chief of the Banahaw Command, who was killed in 1994.

Mabilangan  was running for councilor under the Partido ng Masang Batangueño, which is allied with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

He ran but lost in his bid for vice mayor under UNA in the 2013 elections.

UNA condemns killing

In his speech during a campaign sortie in Batangas yesterday, Vice President Jejomar Binay condemned the killing.

In a statement, UNA spokesman Mon Ilagan expressed concern over what he described as “an alarming pattern of violence” victimizing UNA supporters and candidates.

“UNA strongly deplores any form of violence and will not allow violence to subvert the democratic process by harassment, threats or any kind of intimidation to disempower political opponents,” Ilagan said.

He urged the police and military to implement security measures to ensure peaceful and orderly elections in May. –  With Janvic Mateo