Slaying of antimining leader in Samar leaves cops guessing

TACLOBAN CITY—The May 1 killing of an antimining leader in Salcedo town, Samar province, remained unresolved as police had yet to identify the assailant and the motive.

Senior Insp. Jimwell Cortina, Salcedo police chief, said police were having difficulty in investigating the killing of Francisco Canayong, who was stabbed to death on May 1 by a still unidentified suspect.

Canayong, 66, was the leader of the Carapdapan Movement for Development Association (Camada), an antimining group based in Salcedo town.

“There is no development insofar as our investigation is concerned. No witnesses are willing to come out and help us,” Cortina said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Canayong was leaving the house of a friend and was taking a tricycle ride when the suspect stopped him, boarded the tricycle and, without any warning, stabbed Canayong several times in the chest and back, leading to his death.

The suspect fled after the attack that took place past 2 p.m.

Cortina said police were looking at several possible motives for the killing of Canayong, a resident of Barangay Carapdapan, Salcedo.

“His involvement in the antimining campaign is one of the angles that we are looking into,” he said.

Cortina declined to comment further on the case as investigation was still ongoing.

The victim was also the head of the Salcedo Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association and Barangay Inter-Upland Farmers Association of Salcedo.

Two mining companies,  Terrestial Mining Corp. and Yinshu Mining Corp., were operating chromite mines in Salcedo.