Politician-turned-newspaper publisher killed in Catanduanes

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

VIRAC, Catanduanes – A publisher of a newly launched local newspaper, who ran for mayor and lost in Virac, Catanduanes, during the recent elections, succumbed to a bullet wound on Tuesday, hours after being gunned down here on Monday morning.

Larry Sy Que, 52, publisher of the two-week-old Catanduanes News Now, died at around 2 a.m. Tuesday despite doctors’ attempts at the Eastern Bicol Medical Center to revive him from a gunshot wound in the head.

The victim’s companion, Ma. Teresa Reyes, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Que was shot in the left ear by one of two men riding tandem on a motorcycle at an insurance office in front of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Barangay (village) San Isidro, Virac, at around 9 a.m. Monday.

She said the gunmen had apparently tailed them and parked in front of Que’s vehicle with the spare tire cover bearing his face and that of President Rodrigo Duterte and the tag “D4UTERQUE”.

“It just took a few seconds,” said Reyes, who said she had sought Que’s assistance in having her tricycle registered.

She said she did not see the face of the gunman, who was wearing a full face helmet and a raincoat. The gunman escaped after the shooting.

Que recently won the bidding for hundreds of confiscated motorcycles at the LTO regional office. He ran as an independent candidate during the May 2016 national and local elections but finished with the least number of votes.  SFM/rga