BY: CHARLES NIKKO LIMON
A series of shootings in Abra has raised concerns over election-related violence as the campaign period intensifies.
One of the recent incidents involved the driver of mayoral candidate Juanito Limis Gammong of Tineg, Abra. The victim, 59-year-old Gammong, was shot while inside a house in Barangay Zone 3, Bangued, on the evening of March 25.
Gunmen opened fire on his vehicle before chasing him down and shooting him multiple times. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the killing, but it is suspected to be politically motivated, adding to the growing number of election-related violence in the province.
Abra Vice Governor Joy Bernos, who survived a grenade attack and a shooting incident on her convoy, criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) for their alleged inaction.
“Chief PNP, please pay attention to what’s happening here. I know some officers are concerned, but those in higher positions are altering the reports,” Bernos said.
She also claimed that political supporters were being harassed when filing complaints.
“Our supporters have to stay overnight at police stations just to get their cases filed. This kind of treatment is unacceptable,” she added.
The Police Regional Office Cordillera, however, denied any bias and assured the public that they were actively monitoring the situation.
“Compared to other regions, Cordillera still has the lowest number of shooting incidents. It just so happens that these cases in Abra get more attention,” said Police Brigadier General David Peredo Jr., regional director of PRO Cordillera.
According to police data, 20 shooting incidents have been recorded in the Cordillera region since the election gun ban took effect on January 12. Fourteen of these cases occurred in Abra.
Despite the situation, Peredo assured that all incidents are being investigated, although he admitted that authorities are struggling to gather testimonies.
“The problem is that witnesses refuse to speak, even if they saw what happened. That makes it harder for us to solve these cases,” he said.
To strengthen security, PRO Cordillera has deployed 100 additional police officers to towns categorized as election hotspots.
Currently, Pilar, Bangued, and Bucay are under the “orange” category, while Lagayan, Pidigan, Tayum, Tineg, Dolores, and Langangilang are classified as “yellow.” The town of Pidigan was recently upgraded from “green” to “yellow” due to security concerns.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is still assessing whether other towns should be reclassified as “orange” or “red” based on PNP reports.
“The investigation is ongoing, and we are closely coordinating with authorities,” said Comelec Cordillera Regional Director Atty. Julius Torres.
Authorities continue to validate other suspected election-related incidents as tensions remain high in the province.
