Kapitana Hires Tanod to Kill Her Rival

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 The barangay (village) election nowadays in the Philippines is high stake endeavor that even an incumbent Kapitana (woman chief) allegedly ordered the assassination recently of her rival for the barangay’s top post.

Brgy. Bayaoas, Aguilar Chairman Maria Magnolia Repascol Gelido, 58, and Kelly Doroy Rosario, 54, Chief Tanod (night guard) of Barangay Dorongan Punta in Mangatarem have been ratted to the police by Jason Marquez Vicente, 32, in murdering Arnel Adolfo Flormata, 41.

Rosario conspired with Vicente by using his motorized tricycle as the getaway vehicle after Rosario treacherously shot to the head and killed  Flormata at 11:05 pm of October 22 while the latter headed to his vehicle to change his shirt during the night stump.

Flormata challenged the reelection bid of Gelido in Bayaoas. He is the administrative supervisor of the high paying Aboitiz Solar Services in the third class town.

 Aguilar Chief of Police Maj. Mark Ryan Taminaya told Pangasinan Police Provincial Director Col. Jeff Fanged and Pangasinan Governor Monmon Guico that Vicente surrendered to the cops on October 24.

 While assisted by his lawyer, he fingered Gelido and Rosario as the principals by induction and direct participation on the heinous crime.

Both were arrested by the cops in the morning of October 25 at their respective abodes in Mangatarem and Aguilar.

I still remember Kapitana Gelido. On July 2022 she was criticized by Northern Watch's columnist Arnel Montemayor (+) who used the nom de plume"s Munting Isko. Montemayor questioned the deafening silence of the Kapitana on the massive illegal quarrying in her village.

The Chief Tanod, by the way, runs for the council post in Mangatarem.

Even if they can still run in their aspired elective positions, they would be detained without bail because murder is a non-bailable crime in the Philippines. After their conviction by the court, they would serve a life sentence in the slammer.

The apprehension of two alleged culprits would serve as a deterrence to depraved candidates and their henchmen because the brig waits for them if they’re nabbed on their nefarious act.