THE Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) is looking into the possibility that the shooting incident on Monday, April 9, in Barangay Bulad, Isabela, Negros Occidental, that killed three men was an alleged "test mission" of suspected rebels.
Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil Jr., provincial police director, said they received information about it, but it is still subject to validation.
On April 9, Jose Joerito Amable, 50, of Moises Padilla town, a retired soldier and member of Civil Security Group of Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña; Alejandro Borres, 70, of Moises Padilla town, a retired policeman; and Federico Bitgue III, 29, of Isabela town, were attending a wake when the unidentified assailants fired at them and escaped on board two motorcycles.
The three victims succumbed to multiple injuries.
Also wounded were Alquin Genterula Jr., 34, of Moises Padilla town, a teacher; and a 10-year-old boy after they were hit by stray bullets. Both are now in a stable condition.
Police recovered from the scene fired bullets and ammunition of .9mm, and .45 caliber pistol.
Castil said they are also investigating if the same perpetrators attempted to kill a Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) in Moises Padilla town last month.
"We will know if indeed the two incidents are related based on the results of the cross-matching of recovered bullets from the crime scene through the ballistic examinations," he added.
With the recent incidents allegedly involving Special Partisan Unit (Sparu) in towns of Cauayan and Isabela, Castil said they considered it alarming because of the manner of the killing.
"They don't care about other people as long as they can hit their target," Castil said.
He said they already have coordination with the Philippine Army regarding their intelligence monitoring.
For his part, Chief Inspector Reuben Pajarito, town police chief, said they already identified four "persons of interest" in the case.
Pajarito said they are gathering statements from witnesses to help them identify the perpetrators but he refused to further elaborate on the details.
He said the three fatalities will be subjected to autopsy and paraffin test to determine if they were able to retaliate against the gunmen, despite the non-recovery of firearms from the scene.
"Two of them were former law enforcers. We just want to look for other possibilities that can help in our investigation," he added.
Pajarito said the target of the gunmen was Amable, as the victim had received several threats.
However, he said it was not politically-related.
Pajarito also said it could be possible that the perpetrators have something "personal" against Amable.
The police investigation is still ongoing. (GYM)