Leyte map. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
TACLOBAN CITY — A village councilor who is running for barangay chairman in next month’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections was still in critical condition after he was repeatedly shot in an ambush in Leyte town, Leyte on Thursday.
Junie dela Peña, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was the first candidate who fell victim to what was suspected to be election-related violence in Leyte for next month’s synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
The town of Leyte is part of the third district of Leyte, which authorities have identified as an election hotspot.
Dela Peña, 51, running for village chair in Tag-abaca, about 15 kilometers from the town proper, was driving his pedicab to Tag-abaca. He had a female passenger onboard who was identified by the police as Rosalia Gondong.
Police said that upon reaching Sitio Naga past 7:30 a.m., a Toyota Hilux drove alongside the pedicab. The van’s door opened, and three unidentified men in black jackets inside repeatedly shot the victim.
Gondong was unscathed.
Dela Peña was taken to a private hospital in Ormoc City, where he remained in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon, according to the police.