Ex-Tayug dad bares threats on his life
TAYUG—A former elected town official here, whose family has been the victim of several killings, now fears for his life after receiving two death threats over a two-week period.
This was revealed by former town councilor Leonel Zaragoza, nephew of the late Mayor Guerrero Zaragoza who was assassinated during his term, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH.
He said he received a note on September 3 saying, “Humanda ka at ikaw na ang susunod”.
The note was dropped inside the family’s house compound by a still unidentified person from outside the gate of his home.
The threat was ominous since members of his family had already been killed by still unknown gunmen.
Ten days later, he found a black ribbon attached to a candle and with it a note with the same message, tied to his gate on the morning of September 13. A live bullet was found inside the note.
Zaragoza, a former barangay chairman of Barangay D, said he suspects the same group that shot and wounded his son Herbie is behind the threats. He did not elaborate.
He said he has been extra cautious since then, hardly leaving his house and limiting the people entering his home.
Leonel’s father Aureo, former vice mayor of Tayug, was also previously killed.
Leonel’s son, Herbie, is now paralyzed after a failed assassination attempt four months ago when a gunman shot and hit the boy’s spinal column.
In that incident, Leonel himself was shot at by the gunman in front of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines as he was on board a motorcycle but escaped unhurt.
Their neighbor, Wendel Pajela, was killed in July last year while he and Leonel’s younger brother Allan, were walking leisurely in the neighborhood. Leonel suspects that Allan, presently a barangay chairman, was supposedly the real target.
For over a year now, there has been a spate of killings in Tayug.
Last September 12, a policeman was killed by gunmen riding in tandem on a motorbike.
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