DUMAGUETE CITY — A man was shot dead by still unknown assailants in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28.
Police investigators identified the victim as Junard Barrios.
The killing of Barrios happened on the second day of the public hearings on the proposed postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Negros Oriental.
According to Patrolman Glenn Ramagos, desk officer of the Bayawan City Police Office, policemen are conducting a hot pursuit operation to arrest the perpetrators.
Investigators have yet to gather more information on the circumstances of Barrios’ death.
Several checkpoints were immediately conducted to limit the movement of the perpetrators.
Despite the shooting incident, Col. Alex Recinto, acting provincial police chief, said there has been a decline in the number of crimes in the province.
“In consideration of both time and relevance, the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) has referred to the comparative data on the 100 days before and after the March 4, 2023 incident where the late Gov. Roel Degamo was one of the victims,” Recinto said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Data from the NOPPO showed that 831 crimes were recorded in Negros Oriental from November 28, 2022 to March 4, 2023 or on the day Degamo was killed.
From March 5 to June 12, 2023, authorities logged 613 crimes or 218 less than the period prior to Degamo’s death.
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