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LUPAO, Nueva Ecija: The assassins of
Mayor-elect Alfredo Vendivil Sr. and his cousin, Vice Mayor-elect
Virgilio Vendivil, and their companions were not the only armed men
at the Santo Niño cockpit in San Jose City when the two officials
were killed.
A certain Wilfredo Solano, an
aide of the mayor, had previously told The Manila Times that not one
of the Vendivils’ men were armed. Solano, who was hit by a stray
bullet, said he could have fired back at the assassins had he been
armed because he was less than two meters away.
The widow of the vice
mayor-elect, Marivic Vendivil, however, said the two newly elected
officials had armed bodyguards. She said one of them was carrying
her husband’s gun inside a clutch bag. One said the two of
Vendivils’ escorts fled when the shooting started.
A Lupao resident said that during
the shooting, a San Jose policeman cowered in fear inside a comfort
room. The 19 others who were inside the comfort room were pushing
the policeman to go out and investigate.
“No, I might get killed,” the
policeman reportedly replied.
San Jose Vice-Mayor Mario
“Kokoy” Salvador was immediately surrounded by his security men
during the shooting. Salvador reportedly crouched while holding a
handgun, trying to see through the thick gun smoke.
The mayor of Rizal town, whose
name is Engenio Placido Sr., had also bodyguards with him but they
were all scared stiff by the bursts of gunfire. Former Congressman
Simeon Garcia of the second district did not have any security and
he too froze like a statue, as described by an eyewitness.
The Vendivils sponsored the
two-cock derby in San Jose to get funds for their supposed victory
party.
Alfredo Vendivil Sr. was buried
last Sunday. Virgilio Vendivil was buried a day earlier.
--Efren L. Danao
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