October 25, 2010

            BUTUAN CITY (PNA)  - Still unidentified lone gun man shot dead a town councilor in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur last night, official report from the regional office of the Philippine Information Agency here this morning claimed.

            Sketchy report from Surigao del Sur Provincial Police Office also claimed the victim was standing in front bodega of a rice mill about 6: 50 p.m. Sunday evening in Poblacion San Miguel some 200 kilometers away from Butuan City, the region’s capital when an unidentified lone gunman armed with .45 cal pistol approached him and shot the local official point blank.

            The lone gun man fled from the crime scene as if nothing happened immediately aboard a waiting single motorcycle driven by another unidentified companion wearing helmet which has no plate number.

            People at the rice mill especially the ones talking to the municipal councilor victim immediately brought him to nearby district hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

            Both government offices identified the victim as San Miguel, Surigao del Sur Councilor Valentin Campos.

            Police said they are still investigating the gruesome killing of Councilor Camoos but hinted the councilor was visibly active in the current Barangay and SK polls telling his constituents to vote for the right candidates.

            Meanwhile, police operatives here in Butuan City and Agusan provinces (Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur) rushed immediately to some barangay polling precints following reports from barangay officials that voters, supporters and even candidates of different barangay and SK positions engaged in a free for all fight, heated arguments inside polling precints in some barangays in the city.

            The report alleged chaos marred poling precints in Barangays 23, Ong Yiu, Langihan, Kilometer 2 Baan and others in Butuan City.

            In Agusan del Norte, chaos also marred after ballot boxes and official ballots failed to arrive this morning in some Barangay polling precints in the province, Agusan del Norte Provincial COMELEC officer Atty. Roland Edayan said.

            In Surigao del Sur, chaos also marred some Barangay polling precints after some ballot boxes with official ballots in it intended to said barangays did not arrived this morning.

            Surigao del Sur Provincial COMELEC officer Miriam Acosta claimed some ballot boxes intended for Surigao del Sur were delivered to Lanao del Sur.

            Acosta feared that due to the distance from Lanao del Sur which is hundreds of kilometers away from the province, Barangay and SK elections in some parts of the province will be postponed today and might be held tomorrow.

PNA tried to contact COMELEC Caraga Regional Director Francisco Pobe but to no avail. Allegedly Pobe who served COMELEC for quite sometime now was once impliicated in the alleged Garci Scandal (PNA/Ben Serrano)