Balungao mayor accused in defeated opponent’s murder
THE defeated mayoralty candidate of the Liberal Party in Balungao town was shot while traversing the barangay road in Nancayasan, Urdaneta City last November 23 and was able to identify one of his attackers before he died in a hospital.
Hermingildo “Atet” Marzan, 61, from Barangay San Leon, Balungao succumbed to gunshot wounds from caliber .45 in his chest perpetrated by two men riding in tandem on a motorcycle.
He was initially rushed to the Don Amadeo Perez Sr. Memorial General Hospital where he named one of his assailants who is allegedly close to Balungao Mayor Phillip Peralta.
Peralta, speaking in a local television program, denied on Tuesday that the named suspect, a certain Ronald Pine, is his bodyguard.
“I have to clear things that Ronald is not my man, but he is from Balungao. But he is neither employed in the municipal hall nor personally employed by me so I cannot say he is connected to me,” Peralta said.
The mayor also noted that Marzan was a mayoralty candidate in four elections and in the most recent one last May, Peralta won with a landslide victory.
“I won by more than 8,000 votes margin against him.. so to say it (killing) was a personal grudge, I don’t think that’s correct because out of 20 barangays, I won in 19 barangays so we cannot say I am nursing a hurt feeling towards him (Marzan),” Peralta said.
The Peraltas have been governing the town for several years now, with the incumbent’s father and brother serving as previous mayors.
Superintendent Jeff Fanged said the police are looking into politics as the possible motive for the killing as well as business and personal reasons.–Eva Visperas
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