THE police are considering politics as the primary motive in the killing of Trece Martires City, Cavite Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan.
Calabarzon chief of police Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza said Monday, July 9, that they will invite for interrogation Trece Martires Mayor Melandres de Sagun, among others.
"Since vice mayor nya 'yung namatay it is inherent na makuhanan namin sila ng konting mga information regarding the incident. Walang pinag-iba yan sa pulisya kapag namatayan tayo ng assistant chief of police o intel officer ang una nating tinatanong is the chief of police or in this case," Carranza said.
(Since it was the vice mayor who was killed, it is inherent that we would seek information about the incident. This is no different from the police. If the assistant chief of police or intelligence officer dies, the first person who is invited for interrogation is the chief of police.)
"Since we have to talk to the mayor kung ano 'yung insidente na maaring alam niya sa nangyaring insidenteng ito," he added.
Lubigan was gunned down on Saturday, July 7, along Trace-Indang Road in Barangay Lucino, Trece Martires City.
His driver, Romulo Guillemer, was also killed. They both sustained gunshot wounds in the head.
Carranza said Lubigan was killed a day after the vice mayor told his "inner circle" his desire to run for mayor in the 2019 elections.
"It was last Friday na merong initial statement si Vice Mayor sa inner circle niya na he will be running for mayor of Trece Martires City. The chief of police nakausap 'yung pamilya ang una nating tinitigan dito 'yung anggulo ng pulitika considering na come Wednesday reportedly ia-announce niya 'yung kanilang planong pagtakbo bilang mayor ng Trece Martires so yan ang isang tinitignan natin," he said.
(Vice Mayor told his inner circle last Friday that he will be running for mayor. We are looking at politics as a possible motive. The vice mayor had planned to announce on Wednesday his intent to run for mayor of Trece Martires.)
"And in the history of Trece Martires twice na election walang kalaban mayor d'yan and it appears come 2019 magkakaroon ng (ka)laban ang mayor d'yan and in the history of Trece Martires when it comes to polictics medyo bloody ang politics d'yan," he added.
(For two past elections, the mayor has had no challenger. It appears that there will be a challenger in 2019. Based on Trece Martires' history, politics is a bit bloody there.)
Carranza noted that there were instances when Lubigan refused to attend the flag ceremony at the city hall.
Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año also expressed strong belief that politics was the primary reason behind Lubigan's killing.
"'Yung kay Mayor (Ferdinand) Bote at Vice Mayor Lubigan malakas 'yung motibo na maaaring political. Lalo na si Vice Mayor Lubigan na nag-announce siya na tatakbo siyang mayor sa susunod na eleksyon, and then the next day naganap itong pagpatay sa kanya," Año said.
"Gayundin 'yung kay Mayor Bote kung saan isa siya sa pinagpipiliang tatakbong gubernador next year," he added.
Bote, mayor of General Tinio town in Nueva Ecija, was killed on Tuesday, July 3, in front of the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan City.
Bote was killed about 36 hours after Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili was shot dead during a flag raising ceremony at the city hall in the said town.
Año said there is no "culture of impunity" in the country under President Rodrigo Duterte because there were different reasons behind the killing of local government officials.
Earlier, he said 11 mayors and five vice mayors have been killed since July 2016 when Duterte took office.
Of the 11 mayors, five were allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
"Hindi natin masasabing culture of impunity kasi ito mula noong 2016 at until now, more or less ay 11 mayors at five vice mayors 'yung napatay dito. Pero iba-iba ang dahilan. Merong personal, merong related sa drugs, merong political at meron ding business rivalry," said Año.
"So 'di ko masasabing impunity kasi iba-iba motive at iba-iba ang circumstances," he added. (VoxPop Philippines)