2 b'gay poll bets, 12 hurt in Zambo City grenade attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Two aspiring village councilors were killed  while 12 others, including a village chairman, were wounded in simultaneous grenade explosions on Monday night in a west coast village in this city.

The fatalities were identified as Cecilia Ebol and Elvic Gregorio, barangay council aspirants.

The wounded victims, meanwhile, were identified as Barangay Ayala chairman Diosterides Libredo, his wife Novelita, councilors Alex Macapili, Edgar Enriquez, Victoria  Darline Padernal, Reiner and James Salangit, Bobong Toralba, driver Mario Bucoy, security aide Arsenio Agustin. The two other injured victims have not been identified.

Senior Inspector Edilberto Alvarez, police station 9 commander, said the victims were having a political meeting at the residence of Chairman Libredo when two fragmentation grenades were hurled at them at past 8 p.m.

Gregorio died on the spot while Ebol expired while undergoing treatment of severe injuries in a hospital.

The legs of Chairman Libredo had to be amputated due to the severe injures he sustained. He also caught a shrapnel in the left eye. The other victims suffered minor wounds.

Alvarez said that according to witnesses, the assailants were riding a motorcycle when they stopped outside the house of Libredo and threw the grenades.

The victims did not immediately saw the assailants because its was raining hard when the attack happened.

“Some of the victims thought it (grenade) was only stone," the police official added.

Police could not immediately conclude if the motive behind the attack was politics.

The barangay elections in the city was postponed and moved to November 25 due to the 22-day siege by the Moro National Liberation Front.