Town council bet, village chief dead amid rising gun violence in Abra

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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );BAGUIO, PHILIPPINES — A candidate for a town council seat and a barangay chairman were killed in a shooting incident in Abra province on Monday evening, April 7, adding to a rise in political violence in the province.Manzano Bersalona Agdalpen Jr.



, a candidate for Lagangilang’s municipal council, was shot dead after a confrontation with Rommel Apolinar, a bystander, and barangay chairman Lou Claro of Nagtupacan.Police reports indicate that Agdalpen punched Apolinar, who then went to Claro for assistance.Must Read Rising violence in Abra sparks call for immediate government action The situation escalated when Agdalpen allegedly shoved Claro and shot him.

An unidentified gunman at the scene returned fire, killing Agdalpen.Both men were rushed to Abra provincial hospital where they were declared dead on arrival.The incident added to the growing list and broader pattern of violence in Abra, despite the implementation of the election gun ban and a peace covenant signed by local candidates.

The group Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance (CCAGG) earlier criticized authorities for failing to address the escalating violence, which included targeted attacks on political figures and civilians.CCAGG expressed concern over the failure of both the gun ban and peace covenant to curb the violence, highlighting the growing insecurity as the election season approaches.In a separate security scare earlier on the same day, afternoon classes were suspended at the newly established University of Abra La Paz Campus following a bomb threat.

The La Paz police responded to the threat and called for the evacuation of students and faculty at around 1 pm. Bomb-sniffing dogs were deployed, and a team from the Abra provincial oolice conducted a thorough sweep of the campus.After a two-hour search, the campus was cleared, and classes resumed.

However, the police remained cautious, given the increasing security concerns in the area. – Rappler.com.