By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The barangay captain for Bacolod City’s Barangay 16 was shot dead late Saturday night at a beer house by four riding-in-tandem suspects.
Police identified the fatality as 48-year-old Barangay 16 Captain Nelson ‘Jun-jun’ Ligaya, Jr., a resident of Purok Dalawidaw in the said barangay.
Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) spokesperson, Police Chief Inspector Sherlock Gabana, said, based on initial investigations carried out by Police Station 1 (PS1), Ligaya, along with several friends were having a drink at a beer house, which the victim also owns, when a motorcycle arrived.
The motorcycle made a u-turn and the backrider opened fire at the barangay official.
Another motorcycle with two unidentified men aboard then fired several shots in the air.
According to investigators, the second motorcycle served as the lookout and the subsequent shots were intended to force local residents and potential witnesses to seek shelter.
All four gunmen sped off, heading south on Yulo Street.
Ligaya’s friends and family immediately rushed him to the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center for treatment, but he was declared dead on arrival by hospital staff.
Cops recovered four empty .45 caliber shells and three deformed slugs, also from a .45 caliber firearm, from the crime scene.
Gabana also said they are presently eyeing three possible motives behind the incident.
Based on initial interview with the locals, Ligaya reportedly owed a large sum of money to loan sharks. A second possibility is the incident may have been politically-motivated; or Ligaya may have “crossed paths” with a local drug personality.
Gabana also said the BCPO has already validated Ligaya and confirmed he is not involved in any drug-related activities in the area. He further stated Ligaya is very active in the campaign against illegal drugs in his village and he regularly leads the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
Meanwhile, he pointed out, local residents are “fully supportive of his administration” and have no problems with him.
The police official said Ligaya’s family was traumatized and they have not yet spoken with them to find out if the victim had received death threats prior to the incident.
Gabana added, PS1 is already investigating the incident and are presently reviewing closed-circuit television video footage in the area.
In addition, BCPO has formed a special investigative task group to identify and capture the four suspects./DGB, WDJ
