Outgoing Argao municipal councilor gunned down near public market

A municipal councilor of Argao in southern Cebu was shot dead yesterday afternoon near the town’s public market.

Senior Insp. Allan Rosario, the town police chief, identified the victim as Joaquin Banosong, 65, a retired policeman, a third-termer councilor and a resident of sitio Dobdob, barangay Talaga, Argao. His term was to end on June 30.

Banosong was gunned down at around 4:30 p.m. by a lone gunman while he was about to board his Hyundai Starex van that was parked near the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. office in barangay Lamacan, Rosario said.

Dr. Renato Cairo, medical officer of the Isidro Kintanar Memorial Hospital, said Banosong was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital at around 5 p.m.

Banosong had gunshot wounds on his left and right temple and another bullet wound on the left side of his neck, Cairo said.

The doctor theorized that the wounds on the temple could have been caused by a single bullet. He said this could only be established by an autopsy.

The gunman fled through a motorcycle but Rosario said he could not say if there was another suspect who drove the motorcycle.

However, in a separate interview, P02 Renato Nacaytona, a desk officer of the Argao Police Station, said the initial investigation showed that there was another man who was waiting on the getaway motorcycle.

He said the investigators also found three empty shells and one slug from a .45 caliber pistol.

Nacaytona also said they received information that Banosong might have a lending business inside the public market.

But chief of police Rosario said they were still conducting background check on Banosong that could give them leads to his killing.

Widow’s appeal

The victim’s wife, Cesaria Banosong, is appealing to authorities to arrest her husband’s assailants.

She said Joaquin was a good man and has no enemy in the town. Cesaria also said that her husband did not receive any threat. Though she confirmed that Joaquin was engaged in lending business inside the market, but she could not say if this has something to do with the killing. /Jhunnex Napallacan, Correspondent