By ZALDY COMANDA
A barangay chairman and his companion were killed, while two others were wounded and one survived, after unidentified gunmen ambushed their convoy at Calaba Bridge in Bangued, Abra, on Tuesday night, February 24.
Police identified the slain victims as Ezequiel Castañeda Parado, 35, chairman of Barangay Collado in Lagayan town, and Arlene Dorias, a resident of Collago, Lagayan.
Wounded in the attack were Ailyn S. Parado, a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Lagayan, and Edron Salingbay, the driver.
Jaypee Gacayan survived the incident unharmed.
Initial investigation by the Bangued Municipal Police Station revealed that Chairman Parado and Ailyn Parado were riding in a dark blue Toyota Fortuner (NVR-11), followed by Dorias, Salingbay, and Gacayan in a Nissan Frontier pick-up (XRZ), en route to Barangay Mudeng, La Paz, Abra, when they were attacked at around 6:20 p.m.
The convoy was crossing Calaba Bridge when a white pick-up overtook them and its occupants opened fire.
Responding police officers found four victims unconscious and bloodied. They were rushed to the Abra Provincial Hospital, where Parado and Dorias were declared dead on arrival.
Authorities have launched a hot pursuit operation to identify and arrest the suspects. Nearby municipal police stations have also been directed to set up checkpoints across the province.
