By CESAR JOLITO III

A 35-year-old farmer was gunned down by unidentified armed men at Barangay Bug-ang in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town yesterday morning.

Police identified the victim only by his alias “Bemboy,” a resident of the village.

Initial reports said the farmer had just dropped his son off at school and was riding his motorcycle home when two gunmen waylaid him in Sitio Vergara, about 900 meters from the elementary school in Sitio Magto-od at 6:45 a.m.

The suspects opened fire, hitting the victim in different parts of the body, killing him instantly.

Authorities recovered at least one spent shell of a 5.56 mm rifle and five empty shells from a .45 caliber pistol at the scene.

The victim’s body was later brought to the Toboso Municipal Health Office for post-mortem examination.

Police said the motive behind the killing has yet to be determined.

The Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) vowed a full-scale investigation and close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to track down the perpetrators.

“We strongly condemn this act of violence,” PRO-NIR Director Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay said in a statement.

“We are mobilizing all available resources to ensure justice is served for the victim and his family. Rest assured that PRO-NIR remains steadfast in safeguarding our communities, even in far-flung areas,” he added./CJ, WDJ