Samar police slain by gunmen two days before polls

TACLOBAN CITY, May 7 (PNA) – A police officer was shot dead at dawn Saturday dawn in Pinabacdao, Samar, prompting the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office to step up security efforts this election season.

Four unidentified men gunned down Sr. Police Officer 2 Zacarias Cabriana Acaba, 47 at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday in Mambog village. The victim, assigned in Pinabacdao town, suffered multiple gun shots, according to a police report.

Police Eastern Visayas Regional Director Jose Erwin Villacorte, in a statement, condemned the killing of a police officer.

He extended his condolences to the victim’s family and vowed to seek justice for his untimely death. 

The local police launched a manhunt to arrest the suspects. Investigation is ongoing to determine the motive of the killing.

“The PNP guarantees the capture of the alleged gunmen and warns them of the consequences of the deliberate and treacherous killing of a law enforcer. Also, the PNP wants to reiterate to other lawless elements that they will be caught and will be held accountable for their crimes,” the police regional chief said.

Villacorte reminds all police officers to perform their jobs in maintaining the peace and order in the community especially during this election period and give emphasis on their personal security at all times.

Pinabacdao, a town in Samar province, is about 55 kilometers north from this city. (PNA)
RMA/ARWELL Q. MENIANO