Barangay councilor survives ambush in Negros town (Sabong News)
Author
Glazyl Masculino
Date
MAY 02 2022
BACOLOD CITY — A barangay councilor survived an ambush in Barangay Laga-an, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Saturday.
Maj. Lumyaen Lidawan, Calatrava town police chief, said Barangay Laga-an Kagawad Nelson Panogan, 51, had just ridden his vehicle outside his sister’s house when a gunman attacked him.
Lidawan said that there were actually six unidentified armed men who were probably waiting for the victim to come out of his sister’s house.
Of the six armed men, only one allegedly riddled the victim’s car with bullets, mostly hitting the bottom part of the driver’s side, Lidawan said.
Lidawan said the victim managed to crawl down from his vehicle and hid at the sugarcane field until the armed men fled. He was unharmed.
He was able to come out of the sugarcane field when he saw a patrol car approaching the area, according to Lidawan.
Police recovered from the crime scene six fired cartridges of .9mm and a deformed slug.
Police are looking into insurgency-related, personal, or work-related as possible motives behind the ambush.
Lidawan said the area was considered a “red area” owing to reported sightings of rebels in the area.
Lidawan said that Panogan was also a consultant of a construction firm. But, Lidawan said the victim had no threats that could be linked to the attack.
Panogan is on his last term after being in politics for 13 years, Lidawan said.
