Camarines forest ranger shot dead

LEGAZPI CITY—A forest ranger of Camarines Norte’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) was shot dead by two men riding on a motorcycle in Talisay town in Camarines Norte on Tuesday morning, police said.

Romulo Percil, 57, was driving a motorcycle and passing by a store selling used clothes in Purok 3, Barangay (village) San Isidro, Talisay, when he was shot at 10:50 a.m., Insp. Christopher Estrella, officer in charge of the Talisay municipal police, said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Percil died on the spot after the killers shot him in the back with a .45 cal. pistol. He was on his way to the neighboring town of Labo when he was attacked.

Anti-illegal logging

“Their intention must just be to scare or wound him,” said Estrella, citing police investigation that showed the location of the gunshot wound in the left side of the back just below the shoulder.

The officer said Percil’s killing might be related to his job as a forest ranger as he was active in anti-illegal logging operations in the province and had served warrants of arrests to illegal loggers in the past.