Kin of slain Bukidnon town councilor cry for justice
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Relatives of a Bukidnon town councilor killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen over the weekend are crying out for justice.
Susan Gayonan, 64, a municipal councilor of Talakag, Bukidnon, and a resident of Barangay San Antonio, was shot inside the village store at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 12.
“I hope those who killed my aunt will be brought to justice,” said Chanda Cabañero, who was at the store with Gayonan and several relatives when the assailants arrived and started shooting at the councilwoman.
“We saw the men on motorcycles but we paid no attention at first because workers on their motorcycles usually stop by and buy something from the store. We did not suspect anything,” she said.
She said the gunmen first tried to verify if their target was indeed at the store and when they were sure, they approached the victim.
“We saw them carrying guns and as soon as they got nearer, my nephew and I ran to the back of the store,” Cabañero said. She added she heard gunshots seconds later.
Police said the suspect failed to hit the mark but instead hit Gayonan’s niece Donna Mae Timtim, 29, while another bullet wounded Gayonan’s nephew Luther Joey Bustillo, 32, and a traffic enforcer of the town.
Maj. Dennis Rowell Flores, officer in charge of the Talakag municipal station, said Bustillo tried to grab one of the suspect’s weapons but was overpowered and was hit instead.
Flores said Timtim was in a coma while Bustillo was now recovering.
The police chief said it was raining at the time of the shooting and several people outside the store sought shelter from the rain.
“Seeing there were people around Councilor Gayonan, one of the gunmen fired a warning shot, forcing everyone to scatter. That’s when they began to shoot the victim,” Flores said.
He said a shot that missed Gayonan’s head went through the store’s wooden wall and then hit Timtim.
Police forensics team found five empty shells of a .45 caliber handgun at the crime scene.
Abie Bustillo, Gayonan’s brother, said the councilor had no known adversary, whether personal or political.
“She had been a public servant for quite some time,” he said. “She served as barangay captain here in San Antonio. She also became an [Association of Barangay Councils] president for three terms; and recently, she served as a municipal councilor,” Bustillo said.
