LINGAYEN—The slaying of two councilors of Pangasinan, one of which happened less than two weeks after the other, and the killing of another councilor about a year ago, are sending chills down the spines of other aldermen in the province.

This was disclosed by Provincial Board Member Raul Sison who authored a resolution condemning the recent slaying of the town councilors of Binalonan and San Quintin and the slaying of another councilor from Alcala almost a year ago.

The resolution of Sison, president of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) chapter in Pangasinan, also asked the Philippine National Police to conduct an immediate investigation and solve the slaying of the three aldermen.

Killed last July 13 was Councilor Igmedio Lariosa, 59, a three-term councilor of Binalonan, who was waylaid by armed men while on board his motorcycle after coming from his farm in barangay Camanggaan, Binalonan.

Less than two weeks before, Councilor Albert Sibayan, 40, of San
Quintin was shot and killed by armed men in barangay Alac, San Quintin.

Police Provincial Director Sr. Superintendent Isagani Nerez was invited by the Provincial Board to attend its next session on July 21 to shed light on the progress of investigation these incidents and several other high-profile crimes in Pangasinan.

Town councilors theorized that the killings of their colleagues may have been perpetrated by hired assassins, as in other killings that happened in separate parts of the province.

On the killing of Lariosa, Nerez said a task force he formed to investigate the incident initially found that the slain Binalonan councilor was reported to have received death htreats but did not inform the police about it.

Nerez also said that investigators are looking into love angles as among the possible motive in the slaying of Councilor Sibayan. (PNA)