La Union eyed as poll hotspot after mayor’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — La Union should be included on the list of election hot spots following the killing of Mayor Alexander Buquing of Supiden town, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“I will recommend to include La Union on the list,” DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año told a press conference yesterday.

Año said Abra and Maguindanao are also likely to named poll hotspots due to cases of violence in previous elections.

“We have to wait for the assessment of the Comelec (Commission on Elections), AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines and  PNP (Philippine National Police). We will address it through the deployment of additional security forces,” Año said.

Buquing, his driver and a police officer were killed in an ambush in Barangay Cadapli in Bangar on Monday.

Buquing’s wife, Vice Mayor Wendy Joy, who was wounded, remains confined in a hospital and is reportedly still in a state of shock.

Año said probers are looking into politics as the motive, but they are considering other possible angles.

Buquing is the 11th mayor killed since President Duterte assumed office in 2016.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said they would intensify security preparations for next year’s elections.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) initiated a parallel investigation into the killing of Buquing.

Jacqueline de Guia, CHR spokesperson, said a quick response team from the CHR office in Ilocos was dispatched following the incident. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jun Elias, Janvic Mateo