Politics eyed in Zambo Sur ambush in which a town worker was killed

PAGADIAN CITY – Police authorities in Sominot, Zamboanga del Sur on Tuesday said they were pursuing gunmen in Sunday’s ambush on the group of an aspirant for the upcoming village polls.

SPO1 Samson Eniola, Sominot police investigator, said they believed the motive of the ambush on the group of Santiago Castillo Miñoza was politics.

Killed in the 5:10 p.m. ambush in Purok 3 in Barangay Barubuhan in Sominot was Rolando Labad, an employee of the Sominot town government.

Wounded was Carlito Murcia.

Miñoza, 58, and another companion, Enrico Estrada were unscathed.

Miñoza, who recently declared his intention to run in the Barubuhan village polls, and his companions were on his way to his home on motorcycles when fired at by an undetermined number of armed men using assault rifles and handgun, according to Eniola.

Labad and Murcia were hit in the volley of fire. But Miñoza and Estrada managed to seek cover.

They immediately notified the police about the ambush.

Labad died with multiple injuries while Murcia sustained a single gunshot in the leg.

Recovered from the ambush site were several ammunition casings for M-16 rifles and .45-caliber pistols. /atm