Cebu City councilor receives death threat

CEBU CITY, Philippines –A Cebu City councilor said he received a death threat via a note left outside his home on Monday, May 2, 2022.

Councilor Eugenio Gabuya, Jr., said in a phone conference that he was told that at least five men in motorcycles threw bottles at his home and then put up a sign saying, “Kill Jun.”

He said he was not home when it happened but was informed by his family members about the incident on Tuesday morning, May 3.

“Pagka buntag na ko nakahibaw. In the morning, naay nakasulat nga ‘Kill Jun.’ Ang giingon sa mga tawo diri nga nagpasalbar, lima ka motor, naglabay dayon og botilya,” said Gabuya.

Gabuya said he was not scared of the threat because it was clearly politically motivated even though he is not running this elections.

The councilor is in his third and last consecutive term and he has chosen not to run for any elective position to rest from politics for the next three years.

However, he is actively campaigning for Omar Kintanar in his bid for a seat in the city council, and the rest of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) slate.

“Di nako mahadlok anang panghulga kay kapila naman na. Daghan nag mga posters sa BOPK nga butangan og ‘Kill’ nya pangan sa kandidto. Pero ako, wala ko nidagan karon,” he said.

The councilor, though, said he will be reporting the incident to the police for a blotter report.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered the police to intensify the security in the city following the recent threats against political figures and candidates days before the elections.

He told CDN Digital that he wants security to tighten after the recent ambush of Police Lieutenenant Colonel Chuck Barandog and his wife, STL first nominee, Yvonne Cania, along Pope John Paul II Avenue.

The mayor said that while it is deemed normal that threats abound during elections, violence is intolerable.

/bmjo

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