Rampant assassinations rising in Ilocos Region

TUBAO, La Union -- Assassinations are still on the rise in Ilocos region with another former barangay “kagawad” the latest victim of “riding-in-tandem” killers here Oct. 12.

This, after a resident in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur was also peppered with bullets a day before by hired killers.

Carlito Beduya, 54, a former village councilor of Barangay Anduyan, Tubao was standing at a “tanod” outpost with another man when still unidentified assassins aboard a motorcycle sprung from nowhere, closed in and pumped several bullets on the victim.

Tubao town police said the main triggerman disembarked from the motorcycle and ran after the former village executive who despite being already wounded managed to run away from the volume of fire of the assassins.

The triggerman made sure Beduya was dead before fleeing. Authorities are still facing a blank wall what prompted the killing.

Investigators found five shells of a .45 caliber firearm,from the scene of the killing.

Several weeks ago, another villager in Pugo was killed by motorcycle-riding assassins in his own village.

In Vigan City, assassins also shot to death 42-year-old villager Joseph Parpali on Thursday, latest on rising killings in the province. 

Parpali, a resident of Pagpandayan, Vigan City died on the spot after helmet-wearing gunmen pumped bullets on him along Calle Crisologo, Barangay Pagpandayan.

Although the incident was recorded on closed-circuit television mounted along the road,  policemen could not ascertain identities of gunmen, describing the main gunman only as wearing denim shorts while the driver of the motorcycle as wearing a black jacket.

Police have still to investigate what motivated the killing, the most recent among a long list of “hits” by riding-in-tandem assassins that have been hounding the Ilocos region for long despite police’s vows of a serious drive against it.