Supporter of Masbate barangay bet shot dead near polling precinct

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MASBATE CITY, Philippines — A supporter of a candidate in the barangay (village) elections in Masbate was shot dead by a supporter of his candidate’s rival in Mobo town on Monday afternoon, a sketchy report reaching the provincial police here said.

Police Officer 1 Haidelyn Pimentel Arevalo, spokesperson of the Masbate Provincial Police, quoting the report from the Mobo Municipal Police, said that a certain Larry Canale, 49, a resident of Barangay Baang, Mobo, was killed at around 1:30 p.m. just outside the Umabay Interior Elementary School in Baag, which is used as polling precinct, while voting was going on inside the school.

Arevalo said the Mobo police have reported that a resident of the same barangay, named Richard “Andoy” Ramos, has been tagged in the killing.

She said the Mobo police learned that the victim was a “die-hard” supporter of Bobby Zarsuelo, a candidate for barangay chairman of Baang, who was running against incumbent reelectionist barangay chairman Samuel Bolon, whom suspect Ramos was supporting.

Arevalo said there was still no report if the local police had located Ramos and arrested him.

This was the second case of election-related violence reported in Masbate over the last two days.

On Sunday, the election officer of Palanas town, two municipal policemen and their civilian companion were wounded after they were waylaid by a group of armed men while they were commuting on board a Commission on Election (Comelec)-owned car from a remote village to the town proper.

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