By LEYTE SAMAR DAILY EXPRESS
TACLOBAN CITY.– Two men were gunned down in Sta. Margarita town, Samar Sunday night in what is believed to be a case of election-related violence (ERV).
The victims were identified as Rodrigo de la Peña and David Casaljay, who were on board a motorcycle when they were gunned down in Barangay Balud by still unidentified armed men at around 11 pm.
Senior Superintendent Manuel Cubillo, information officer of the Philippine National Police in Region 8, said both men were residents of Barangay Inoraguiao, Sta.Margarita.
Cubillo said the two victims were on their way to Calbayog City when they were waylaid by the suspects, who immediately opened fire at them.
The victims killed immediately and were brought to Our Lady of Perpetual Hospital in Calbayog City.
The police recovered several spent shells of 5.56 MM caliber guns at the crime scene.
Cubillo also said that a still undetermined amount of money was recovered from the victims. “We don’t know yet why the victims had with them a large amount of money,” he said.
Major Armand Rico, information officer of the 8th Infantry Division, meantime, said that based on their initial investigation, the victims were members of a private armed group of a candidate whom he refused to identify.
“And apparently, the suspects were also members of another private armed group. There was a shootout,” Rico said. The suspects were said to have been on board a passenger van.
The killing incident in Sta.Margarita marked the first election-related violence that took place in Eastern Visayas as balloting started on Monday.
Sta.Margarita is one of the 21 towns of Samar identified by the police authorities as among its hot spots.