MACABEBE, Pampanga – Emerging from a prayerful visit to a church, a businessman cheated death a second time after he survived unscathed a rain of bullets from still unidentified suspects in Barangay San Rafael here last Wednesday.
This town’s police chief Chief Inspector Diosdado Nolasco identified the victim as Rolando Yabut, 61, owner of a jewelry shop in Apalit town. Early this year, Yabut was unhurt in another ambush also by still unidentified suspects in Apalit.
A police report here said Yabut had just been in the San Rafael church and was already boarding his Toyota Revo parked in front when a lone suspect, reportedly on a motorcycle, peppered him with bullets and then fled. Yabut said he ran away and sought refuge behind a nearby wall that shielded him from the bullets, the report said.
Nolasco said no motive has yet been determined in the two incidents that targeted Yabut, but added that probers are looking into the possibility of political rivalry. He noted that Yabut’s wife Estrelita ran for barangay chair of Barangay San Jose here in the last barangay polls, but lost by a slim margin over proclaimed barangay chair Danilo Manarang.
Manarang himself was shot dead last January, paving the way for barangay councilman Francisco Galura to assume his post. Despite Manarang’s death, Mrs. Yabut pursued her protest against her loss in the barangay polls. The case has remained pending with the Commission on Elections.
The police advised Yabut to hire security men pending results of police investigation and arrest of suspect. Probers found seven empty shells and fi ve deformed slugs for .45 pistol at the crime scene.
