Pinili vice mayor survives ambush try

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Pinili, Ilocos Norte—The municipal vice mayor of this town survived an ambush attempt on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 25, while driving his van along the national highway at Brgy. Lang-ayan in Currimao, Ilocos Norte.

Pinili Vice Mayor Rommel Labasan, now on his second term, said he was on his way to pay electric bills in neighboring Batac City at about 1 pm on Feb. 25 when he noticed allegedly armed motorcycle-riding men tailing him.

But before the gunman could aim at him, he managed to speed away from the suspects as he sought refuge at the nearby Batac City Jail.

Upon report of the incident, P/Sr. Insp. Artemio Clemente, Pinili police chief said they immediately alerted all police stations and conducted a dragnet operation near the area.

A few hours later, police authorities were able to nab one of the suspects positively identified by Mr. Labasan while his companion was able to escape into the mountainous part of Barangay Baay in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

As of this posting, police investigators have yet to identify the motive of the failed ambush try.

According to Mr. Labasan, he has received an earlier threat on his life and he never thought it was for real saying he has done no harm to anyone.

In a related development, police authorities at the Batac station has already filed attempted murder charges against two suspects identified as Joseph Coloma, a resident of Barangay 17 (Samak), San Nicolas town and Willy Sejalb, resident of Poblacion, Currimao town on Feb. 26.

Mr. Sejalbo however filed a waiver, granting him at least five days to file his counter affidavit, said Batac City prosecutor Valentin Pascua in a radio interview.

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