Davao Occidental gov vows justice for slain anti-drug crusading village chief

DIGOS CITY—Davao Occidental Gov. Claude Bautista vowed to deliver justice for an anti-drug crusading village chief in the town of Santa Maria who was killed last Jan. 11.

“We guarantee a speedy investigation and hopefully there will be arrests, soon,” Bautista said in a statement.

Alex Abe, 42, village chief of Poblacion, was shot by a lone gunman in front of his house around 5 p.m. on Jan. 11 while he was talking with relatives in an attack that once again showed the level of impunity with which people are getting killed in many parts of the country.

After shooting Abe in the head, chest and shoulder, the gunman ran to an accomplice waiting on a motorcycle and fled.

Abe was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bautista said Abe had been receiving death threats following the arrest of two known drug dealers in his village.

Abe, according to Bautista, has been a staunch crusader against illegal drugs and worked hard to earn a declaration from anti-narcotics agencies that his village was among the drug-free communities of Santa Maria town.

TSB