MANILA — Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe was shot dead during a gift-giving event in Barangay Burgos, Daraga, Albay on Saturday afternoon.
His police escort, identified as Senior Police Officer 1 Orlando Diaz, was also killed in the attack.
According to a Facebook post by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, Batocabe was gunned down while attending an event for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Both victims were rushed to Ago Medical and Educational Center Hospital in Legazpi City but were pronounced dead on arrival.
Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo strongly condemned the killing of Batocabe, even as she called for a speedy investigation of the case.
“Nothing can justify his murder and that of his police aide. I call on our law enforcement agencies to conduct a speedy and thorough investigation to bring all those behind this dastardly act to justice,” Arroyo said.
“I offer my deepest condolences to his family and constituents whom he had served with much commitment and compassion,” she added.
Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. expressed outrage over Batocabe’s assassination, stressing that the “culture of violence that stalks our land” must be stopped.
“I share the outrage, the pain and the shock of my fellow Bicolanos over the death of my friend and colleague, Rodel Batocabe. He was a man of peace and a visionary for progress. The laws he had authored and the programs he had initiated will continue to make a difference in the lives of the people he had selflessly served long after he is gone. That he and his police aide were cowardly assassinated while spreading cheer in this season of forgiveness betrays the evil nature of the perpetrators,” Andaya said.