CEBU CITY, Philippines — The police in San Fernando town, southern Cebu, have responded to a shooting encounter between armed men at the vicinity of the house of a municipal council candidate in Barangay Bugho past 2 p.m. Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Patrolman Philip Gefto, desk officer of the San Fernando Police Station, said their personnel were securing the roads leading to the adjoining city of Toledo and Pinamungajan town in attempts to trap the suspects of the shooting.
The police have yet to confirm if someone was hurt in the alleged shootout.
Police are also verifying if one of groups involved in the shootout were members of the military assigned to secure the area for the elections.
The military have a command post in Barangay Magsico, a neighboring barangay of Bugho.
Read more: Police, soldiers to secure San Fernando’s hinterland barangays on election day
Initial reports said that it was a strafing incident, but police later confirmed that they were responding to a shootout between two armed groups.
Barangay Bugho is a hinterland village in San Fernando, and it sits at the boundary between San Fernando town and Pinamungajan town.
San Fernando is a town 42 kilometers south of Cebu City. /bmjo