Palace denounces killing of Calbayog City mayor

MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday condemned the March 8 ambush that killed Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino and his security aides in Tacloban City.

“Political violence has no place in democracy. Kinukundena po natin iyan (We are condemning that),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online press briefing. “Kinukundena po natin iyan dahil ang karapatang mabuhay po ay pinaka-importanteng karapatan (We condemn that because the right to life is the most important right of a person).”

Roque said the Palace is alarmed by the ambush-slay in Calbayog City.

He raised the possibility that the local official might be a victim of election-related violence.

“Naalarma kami na dahil isang mayor po ang pinatay, baka ito ay simula na naman ng patayan dahil sa politika sa panahon na napalalapit na ang eleksyon (We are alarmed because a mayor was killed and this might be the start of killings because of politics, as the elections draw near),” he said.

Aquino was on his way to his son’s birthday party when his sports utility vehicle was tailed by two cars in the city’s Lonoy village on Monday afternoon.

Aquino and two of his security escorts were killed after an exchange of gunfire with unidentified assailants.

Roque appealed to everyone not to resort to violence during election season.

“Ang demokrasya po, tao po ang humahalal. At ang ating panawagan, hayaan po nating maghalal ang taumbayan sa pamamagitan ng pagpili ng sa tingin nila, ang pinakaepektibong mamumuno (In a democracy, people elect their leaders. Our appeal is let the people choose who they think are the most effective leaders),” he said.

Aquino was on his third and last term as the Calbayog City’s chief executive. He served as mayor since 2011 after then Mayor Reynaldo Uy was killed in a fiesta celebration in Hinabangan, Samar.

The Philippine National Police has vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the ambush-slay of Aquino and his aides.

Calbayog has earned the moniker “Killbayog” because of the number of election-related violence in the previous national and local elections.

Most victims of election-related violence are village officials and die-hard supporters of provincial and city officials.