Nueva Ecija mayors seek justice for slain colleague

Kin urge Duterte for full probe 

By Ariel Avendaño

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – The 27 strong members of League of Municipalities of the Philippines – Nueva Ecija (LMP – NE) Chapter condemned the murder of Gen. Tinio Mayor Ferdinand Bote who was gunned down by still unidentified suspects just after leaving the regional office of National Irrigation Administration afternoon of July 3.

In its statement, the LMP NE led by its provincial president Peñaranda town Mayor Ferdinand “Blue Boy” Abesamis, also “appeals to the law enforcement authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and bring justice” in the assassination of Bote.

In a mobile phone interview with this correspondent, Abesamis said that the municipal mayors in the province will urge the leadership of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) to seek an audience with President Rodrigo Duterte “to ventilate” the issue on the killing of Mayor Bote.

Abesamis also added that LMP – NE is set to conduct an emergency meeting on July 10 to discuss the possibility of raising funds to increase the P1 million reward which was earlier announced by the provincial government to fast track the arrest of the killers of the murdered mayor.

Engineer Jose Ariel Domingo, NIA division 3 manager, said that Bote has just left his office after having a brief conversation at around 4:30 p.m. when a burst of gunfire was heard.

“Bigla po kaming nakarinig ng sunud-sunod na putok kaya agad kaming lumabas ng opisina, then we were informed by the gate guards that it was Mayor Bote who was gunned down”, Domingo added.

The mayor has just passed by at the NIA office to see his son Dino Bote who has just attended a Pre-bid Conference conducted by the NIA for the construction of various lateral canals amounting to more than P37 million in Gen. Tinio town.

Bote owns the Lisa Construction, a construction firm operating in the.province.

Meanwhile, the family of Bote  appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to bring justice to the fallen local executive.

Dino Bote, youngest son the murdered mayor pointed out that “hindi kami papayag na hindi managot ang nasa likod ng pamamaslang sa aking ama”.

Former mayor Virgilio Bote, a relative of the slain municipal mayor, hinted that “alam na namin kung sino ang pumatay kay Mayor Ferdie, at kilala na rin maging ng aming mga kababayan as he even offered to “whisper” the identity of the suspect to this correspondent but later backed out.

The former mayor hinted that he was planning to run as governor in the 2019 midterm elections to avoid political confrontation with the slain incumbent mayor “but now that Mayor Ferdie has gone baka tatakbo na lang akong mayor para maipagpatuloy ang magagandang programa at proyekto ng administrasyon niya”, the former mayor said.

The former mayor is the current PDP-LABAN chairman in Nueva Ecija, the political party of President Duterte.
“We have also sought the help of Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go for the immediate arrest of the suspect.

Ruling out of any business interest as the motive in the killing of Bote, the former mayor disclosed that the.murder incident is purely politically-motivated.

“Titiyakin po namin na makukulong siya,” hinting that he really knew who masterminded the assassination.
Bote was gunned down by still unidentified suspects last July 3 just after leaving the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan City.