Ex-Samar town mayor survives ambush try

TACLOBAN CITY – A former mayor of a Samar town, who is running in next year’s elections, survived an attempt to his life.

Aran Boller, who served as mayor of Matuguinao town after then mayor Celso de la Cruz, an uncle, was killed in an ambush in 2009, was hit in his right hand from the bullet coming from one of the suspects in Barangay San Francisco, a commercial area in Catbalogan City, Samar, at 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

Boller was immediately brought to an undisclosed hospital in Catbalogan City, 52 km away from Matuguinao, reports reaching the regional headquarter of the Philippine National Police (PNP) based in Palo, Leyte, said.

The regional PNP has no full details on the incident yet.

The Inquirer called the Catbalogan City PNP several times but received no reply.

The 42-year-old victim, who maintains a house in Catbalogan City, is running for mayor in Matuguinao in next year’s election.

His opponent is incumbent Vice Mayor Carmel de la Cruz whose sister, Melissa, is the current mayor but is gunning for vice mayor for the 2019 midterm polls.

Melissa defeated Boller during the 2016 elections.

With this incident, the police force in Matuguinao is in full alert, said its town police chief Inspector Joel Merino.

“We have put up checkpoints in strategic locations to ensure that no untoward incident would happen here. He has his own supporters, you know. But so far, it’s peaceful here in Matuguinao,” Merino, in a mobile phone interview, said.

Last October 8, another former mayor in Samar, who was running for vice mayor in next year’s balloting, Ananias Rebato, was ambushed. He died six days later while confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City.

Members of the New People’s Army claimed responsibility for the killing of Rebato.