Being dad in Abra is to be bravest
Countless number of men felled by bullets through the years were fathers. They, like other fathers in any place of the world, want to be with their families especially with their children during this occasion.
Daily TribuneCountless number of men felled by bullets through the years were fathers. They, like other fathers in any place of the world, want to be with their families especially with their children during this occasion.
BAGUIO CITY — As election period is nearing and the political atmosphere is starting to heat up in many parts of the country, news on killings or deaths are again filling the headlines of multimedia outfits.
One of the areas considered by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as a hotspot is the province of Abra. It may not be proper to compare Abra to the other areas but the election-related violence in the province simply cannot be ignored.
Every election time, people, mostly males, die from the bullets of assassins who in all probability, may have probably been paid by people who want to be in power by eradicating their rivals, opponents and critics.
Countless number of men felled by bullets through the years were fathers. They, like other fathers in any place of the world, want to be with their families especially with their children during this occasion.
Abra police are now investigating the killing of a man and his young daughter in Dolores town barely two months ago. Arnel Eduarde Zapata was shot dead beside her 4-year-old daughter at their residence in Sitio Quemmel, Dolores, Abra. Even though the motive has yet to be established, it is not far-fetched to relate it to other killings that happen during an election season.
Just recently, in the morning of 14 June, a construction worker, Demy Peralta was killed in an ambush at Calot, Bangued Abra. He was on board a car together with Barangay Chairman Robert Bio and two brothers Benson and Reymart Bio.
On the evening of 13 June, farmer Ronald Dumalen died after being shot multiple times by a suspect while they are playing table pool inside the Galera residence at Barangay Sagap, Bangued, Abra. The suspect was identified as Isidro Baoit who fled the scene after killing the victim.
Baoit is the former chief of Barangay Sagap and now a kagawad of the same place.
Zapata, Peralta, Dumalen and many of the other victims of election-related violence are fathers who have children whose lives were ravaged because of their untimely deaths.
According to an Abra resident who requested not to be identified for security reasons, the political atmosphere of Abra is once again heating up as election period nears. He said that fear is engulfing the people of Abra and sadly, they even feel that they are not safe with the police and soldiers stationed in the province.
The resident alleged that the law enforcers are being used to protect some politicians. According to him, the police were involved in the election-related violence in Pilar, Abra in the 2022 National and Local Elections. He then appealed to the supposed protector of the people to be on the side of the people and do their mandate to uphold the law.
