A rock thrown at the rear window of Provincial Board Member Sun Shimura leaves a gaping hole at the rear window of the van. | Sun Shimura’s FB page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A rock was thrown at the van with Cebu Fourth District Provincial Board Member Sun Shimura and his family inside damaging the rear window of the van as they were traversing a road in Daanbantayan town in northern Cebu last Saturday, March 30.
Shimura, his wife, his aunt, security guard and driver, were unharmed by the attack but the rock left a hole in the van’s rear window as they were passing along the road in the town’s Barangay Lanao at past 9 p.m. that day.
Shimura said that they were startled when they heard a loud bang coming from the rear window of the van.
“Dako kaayu nga bato ang gilabay kay nabuak gyud ang likod sa sakyanan. Wa na mi nihunong kay gatuo mig pusil but luckily dili,” he said.
(It was such a loud bang that it really broke the rear window of the van. We did not stop the van to find out what happened because we thought that we were being shot at.)
He said that the attack happened when he and his family were on their way to attend a wake.
Shimura, who is running for mayor in Daanbantayan, said he believed that the attack was planned.
Provincial Board Sun Shimura is running for mayor in Daanbantayan town. |CDN Digital file photo
Read more: Shimura to seek father’s blessing in Daanbantayan mayoralty bid
He said the attack happened in an area where there is an ongoing road construction that will require all vehicles passing along the road to slow down.
Prior to the incident, Shimura said he had received reports from his men that their tarpaulins and other campaign materials were taken down in some areas.
Shimura said he then reported the attack on him and his family to the authorities and filed a blotter report at the police station.
He also said that he was working on asking and applying for security from the Commission on Election.
Shimura, who also took to Facebook informing netizens about the attack against him by posting the damaged rear window of his van and some tarpaulins, which seemed to be purposely covering Shimura’s campaign materials.
An excerpt from his post also addressed his unknown assailants comparing the attack to a basketball game.
“But mind you, tig basketball ko, ang pildihunon nga team, lawgawon ra jud na nila ang duwa kay walay dag anan! Sorry nalang kay e ampo ra jud mo nako!”
(But mind you, I play basketball and if the other team is already losing they start to play dirty. I feel sorry for them, and I will just pray for them.”)
Read more: LOOT, FAMILY SURVIVE ATTACK
Shimura is the stepson of Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot, whose convoy was attacked last May as Loot, his wife and Shimura’s children arrived at the Maya port from a trip in Malapascua.
Loot’s driver-bodyguard was wounded in the attack.
Loot, who had been included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of narcopoliticians, was tagged by the President as a drug protector.
Loot had vehemently denied the allegation.
Shimura is running for the town’s mayor’s post after Loot chose not to run for reelection./dbs