Ex-town councilor survives hit try in Abra

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BAGUIO CITY – A former Sanggunian Bayan (municipal council) member in Dolores town was wounded in an ambush Sunday, September 1, in Dolores town in Abra province, police report said.

The victim, identified as Gregorio “Goyo” Castillo, 74, a former member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Dolores was shot at by still unknown gunmen in Sitio (sub-village) Curapo in Barangay (village) Poblacion at around 9:30 a.m.

According to the Dolores police, Castillo was parking his vehicle, when a motorcycle pulled up beside him. The driver, then, fired three shots at him before escaping the scene.

Castillo was taken to Seares Hospital in Bangued, Abra, where he is under observation. The report did not mention the areas in his body that were wounded by bullets.

Castillo is a cousin of incumbent Bangued Mayor Mila Valera and the uncle of suspended Abra Vice Governor Joy Valera-Bernos.

Authorities have launched a hot pursuit operation, with adjacent police stations placed on high alert.

READ: Rebellion rap vs activists linked to Abra ambush

On August 29, another ambush in Sitio Ramramot, Barangay San Antonio, Bangued left Marcelino Castillo Banayos, 58, a former village chief of Bañacao, and his passenger, 20-year-old construction worker Janssen Benauro Blanes, were also ambushed by unidentified gunmen. Both were taken to Abra Provincial Hospital where they remain under observation.

Banayos is a known political ally of the Valera clan.

Police are still investigating the two incidents.