Ghost project whistle-blower slain

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar—The former village chief, who exposed a ghost project in Catbalogan City in Samar, was gunned down by a lone assailant shortly before noon on Sunday.

Filomeno Cabarriban was watching a cock fight in Gallera de Catbalogan in Catbalogan City about 11 p.m. when an unidentified man shot him in the back.

The bullet exited through his chest, killing him on the spot,  said Senior

Supt. Roel Acidre, Samar police director.

The police, however, had yet to determine the motive in the killing although investigators were not dismissing the possibility that it was related to politics, especially because he had been receiving death threats.

Cabarriban was a former village chief of Lagundi. His wife is the incumbent barangay (village) captain. He was a supporter of former Catbalogan Mayor Coefredo Uy, a political rival of   Rep. Milagrosa Tan, an influential politician in Samar whose family members occupy the highest elective positions in the province.

His killing also came a week after he exposed a ghost project in his village.

Cabarriban had told the Inquirer that he had not seen any ongoing project that either repaired or rehabilitated the road from Barangay Lagundi to adjacent Baragay Peña, which was supposedly funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of   Tan.

According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), P35 million of Tan’s PDAF was released in February.

Of the amount, P11.35 million was allocated for the road repair/rehabilitation from Lagundi to Peña in Catbalogan City.

“Since January of this year, I have not seen any road repair from Lagundi to Pena,” Cabarriban earlier told the Inquirer.

Based on initial police investigation, Cabarriban was watching a cock fight when he was shot from behind by a lone gunman.

The assailant then joined his two companions in fleeing to the mountains, said Acidre. The victim was brought to  Samar Provincial Hospital where he was declared dead on  arrival.