VP Binay, UNA condemn killing of former councilor of Sto. Tomas

BALAYAN/NASUGBU, Batangas – Vice President Jejomar Binay and the United Nationalist Alliance condemned the killing of former Sto. Tomas Councilor Damasino "Caloy" Mabilangan Jr., who was gunned down Friday morning by a still unidentified assailant.

In his speech in Nasugbu, Batangas, Binay said he prayed before proceeding with the campaign sortie for the soul of his fraternity brother Mabilangan.

"'Yung brod namin sa Santo Tomas, pinatay kaninang umaga," Binay repeated in his speech in Balayan, Batangas.

"Ganyan ngayon, dahil sa kahirapan, kabi-kabila ang krimen. Kaya alam ninyo, hindi mangyayari 'yun kung walang kahirapan ngayon. Tatapusin natin 'yan," he added.

UNA is in Batangas province campaigning for the May 2016 elections when it received news that Mabilangan was shot dead while jogging.

"Kinokondena at ikinalulungkot namin ang pagpatay kay Councilor Caloy Mabilangan kaninang umaga. Inihahatid ni Vice President Jejomar Binay ang kanyang dalamhati at pakikiramay sa pamilya at mga naiwang mahal sa buhay ni Ka Caloy," UNA spokesperson Mon Ilagan said in a separate statement.

Uncoltrollable scale

He said the violence has become so prevalent and widespread that it has practically reached uncontrollable scale.

The spate of election-related killings imperils an honest, orderly and peaceful elections in May, he added.

In 2013, Mabilangan ran for the vice mayoralty race under UNA. He was said to be running for re-election as councilor in Sto. Tomas town this year.

He was the brother of former communist rebel Leopoldo “Ka Hector” Mabilangan, who was assassinated on April 3, 1994 in Sto. Tomas. Ka Hector was supposed to be running either for mayor of Sto. Tomas or congressman in the 3rd District of Batangas.

Ilagan said there is an alarming pattern of violence in select areas where UNA supporters in the provinces are either being threatened or harassed.

"UNA strongly deplores any form of violence, and will not allow violence to subvert the ends of the democratic process by way of harassment, threats, or any kind of intimidation to disempower political opponents," he said.

Mostly politically motivated

It is clear that the string of killings and incidence of violence are mostly politically motivated, he added.

"Ang mga insidenteng ito ay hindi natin maaaring sabihin na isolated dahil tuwing panahon ng kampanya, at habang papalapit ang eleksyon ay lalong tumitindi ang mga patayan at karahasan at target nito kadalasan ay mga kandidato ng oposisyon," he said.

"May mga grupo na alam na mahina sila sa mga lokal, and the only way to gain political advantage is to neutralize the competition," he added.

By this time, both the PNP and AFP should have already ramped up preventive measures and increased intelligence gathering as the May 9 elections draw closer, Ilagan noted.

"Seryosong bagay ito, at dapat mas paigtingin pa ng Comelec ang usaping pang-seguridad upang maiwasan ang madugong halalan. And since the AFP and PNP are under the Comelec's direct control, we urge the Commission to beef up its campaign against election-related violence," he said. – VS, GMA News