MALASIQUI – Another barangay captain of this town fell from an assassin’s bullet along with his companion as they rode tandem on a motorcycle in barangay Bakitiw here before noon Wednesday.

Dead in the shooting incident along the highway in barangay Don Pedro, this town were Bakitiw Barangay Captain Ruben Palaganas, 48, and Louie Tantay, 25, a member of the village security force here.

They were shot by one of four armed men riding in two motorcycles. The victims were going home to barangay Bakitiw at 11:50 a.m. coming from the town proper.
Seven empty shells of Caliber 45 pistols were found by investigators at the crime scene.

Both Palaganas and Tantay were witnesses in the gunslaying of Leonides Bulatao, another barangay captain of Tambac, also in Malasiqui, on Dec. 15, 2003 near the Malasiqui municipal hall, just after a flag-raising ceremony.

Palaganas, a former labor leader at Koto Mines in Zambales in 1989 before he became barangay chairman, had just attended a regular monthly meeting of the town’s Association of Barangay Councils in the poblacion.

Palaganas had survived an earlier assassination attempt by unidentified armed men who opened fire on his Toyota Ace van as it was leaving a gasoline station on Jan.16, 2005.

He was unscathed in that assassination attempt that resulted in the filing of cases for frustrated murder against four persons tagged as henchmen of Willie Mendoza alias ‘Samal’, an ex-policeman and a suspected gun-for-hire.

Mendoza was the principal suspect in the guslaying of Bulatao where both Palaganas and Tantay were the lone witnesses for the prosecution.

Mendoza is now in jail on a case of murder filed by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Palaganas suffered gunshot wounds in the left part of his head and back while Tantay, who was driving the motorcycle, was hit in the left portion of his head and left side of the body.

Both died on the spot.

Supt. Leopoldo Rivera, chief of police of Malasiqui, said several witnesses are now under their protection.

Although Palaganas’ killing may have been tied to the slaying of fellow barangay captain Bulatao three years ago, Rivera is not ruling out the possibility that it may have been work-related. He said Palaganas was actively supporting the police in its campaign against cattle rustling.

Rivera said Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Alan Purisima ordered him to solve the twin killings in the shortest time possible.

Malasiqui Mayor Alfonso Soriano ordered the police to find the killers of Palaganas and Tantay at all cost.

He said Palaganas was one of the most industrious barangay captains of Malasiqui, saying that his death is a big loss not only to his village but also to the whole town.

The NBI told the police that even if he was standing as the principal witness to the slaying of his fellow barangay captain in 2006, Palaganas rejected their offer to have him placed under the witness protection program.

Palaganas had a Cal. 45 pistol tucked on his waist while Tantay also had Cal. 9 mm. pistol but both obviously were not able to fire back at their assailants.