Leyte, Leyte (PNA image)
TACLOBAN CITY – A village councilman seeking the barangay chief post was seriously wounded during an ambush along a road in Leyte, Leyte, Thursday.
Initial reports reaching the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office revealed that Junie Dela Peña, 51, incumbent village councilman of Tag-abaca in Leyte town, is fighting for his life at the OSPA-Farmers' Medical Center in Ormoc City.
The victim is eyeing the post of a barangay chieftain in the Oct. 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Police said the victim was driving a motorcab heading towards Tag-abaca village when two unidentified gunmen wearing black jackets on board a white pick-up truck shot him several times while overtaking the cab in Consuegra village.
The victim’s passenger, Rosalia Gondong, was not hurt during the shooting.
The incident was the first violence in Eastern Visayas committed against a candidate since the start of the election period for the BSKE on Aug. 28. The election gun ban is also in force.
The PNP regional office here earlier deployed over 11,000 police personnel to ensure a safe, secure and honest BSKE next month. (PNA)
