A supporter of reelectionist Mayor Aljun Diamante of Tubran town, Cebu was killed in an ambush on Wednesday noon at the municipality’s upland area located in Sitio Sambag, Barangay Mag-antoy.
The victim was identified as 48-year-old Rene Cangmaong, a former member of the New People’s Army (NPA) based in Tuburan and a job order employee of Tuburan, working as a market guard.
SPO1 John Philip Acaso, investigator of the Tuburan police, said that Cangmaong was with six men on board three motorcycles when they were waylaid by at least three unidentified armed men.
Acaso said the armed men may have waited on a hill top as the victims including Cagmaong were making their way to an uphill road.
While his companions scampered away, Cangmaong was left, slumped on the ground when he was allegedly shot several times. The assailants sped away on board a motorcycle.
Acaso said the five other survivors claimed that they came from the house of Diamante in Barangay Cogon.
They were on their way to Barangay Kabangkalan, more or less 25 kilometers from the town proper, to attend a fiesta celebration when the ambush happened.
He said the survivors’ description were still sketchy and they could not determine how many assailants figured in the ambush.
The survivors are identified as Jovelito Baguio, 27, Alexander Lato, 42, Vicente Labador, 45, and a certain “Boboy ” and “Pepe.”
Acaso said Labador, who sustained a gunshot wound on one of his legs, left with a certain Pepe to seek treatment.
“We checked on our district hospital but they were not there, we are still looking for them,” Acaso said in Cebuano.
As of 7:30 p.m., Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) have yet to arrive to check the area for empty shells and retrieve the remains.