URDANETA CITY—Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. has downplayed reports that the killing of a councilor’s son on Monday could be politically motivated but welcomed the option of putting the city under Commission on Election (Comelec) control to ease political tension and ensure a peaceful election in May.

 “Some are attributing it (killing) to politics but to my mind, I don’t think politics is involved here,” Perez told local media.

He also said the formation of a task force Tuesday to look into the gunslaying of Engr. Rene Parayno, 43, son of Councilor Julio Parayno “is most welcome”.

The victim, an employee of the National Irrigation Administration regional office, was shot dead on Monday while on board his motorcycle along the provincial highway in barangay Bayaoas.

Outgoing fifth district Board Member Emmanuel “Manoy” Carancho is being implicated by the bereaved family in the murder.

Carancho and the elder Parayno are both set to run for the vice mayor position.

“Granting that the father (elder Parayno) will run against Board Member Manoy (Carancho), what will Board Member Manoy gain by having the son shot or killed?” said Perez who sees the incident as an isolated case and expects no further violence in the city’s local election.

For his part, Carancho has denied any involvement in the killing and said he is open to any probe.

“I can’t do that (murder).It’s not in my system, it’s not in my character we fight our rivals, we don’t kill them and we always emerge winner,” said Carancho who has been in politics for more than two decades.

Carancho’s daughter, incumbent Vice Mayor Charizzma Salud Carancho, is eyeing to replace her father’s post in the provincial board.

Carancho, whose wife is the first cousin of the elder Parayno, said the tragedy has by no means made him reconsider his political plans.

“The assassination of my son did not decrease my burning desire to serve my constituents,” Parayno said and reiterated his strong suspicion that his son was killed due to politics.

Perez appealed to the people to give time to police authorities to conduct their investigation and not jump to unnecessary conclusion and avoid spreading ugly rumors.

Both Carancho and Perez have received text messages threatening them to be killed next because of the Parayno murder.

Senior Superintendent Isagani Nerez, police provincial director, has formed Task Force Parayno upon the order of Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, police regional director.

The task force is headed by Superintendent Ric Zapata, provincial police’s deputy director for operations with Superintendent Jimili Macaraeg, this city’s police chief as his deputy and elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory, local and regional police intelligence offices.

At presstime, the police said it still has no lead as to the motive and identity of the perpetrators of the crime and they are now looking into all possible angles.

Bataoil said his office could not ascertain at this stage if Urdaneta could be recommended  to be included in the  election list of areas of concern  as the final assessment on the peace and order of a place rests on the Comelec.—EVA/APE

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