In barely a month’s statistics, Bohol already recorded eight shooting incidents where eight of the 11 victims died.

Two of those killed were in Danao, and one each in Loboc, Getafe, Tagbilaran, Clarin, Sagbayan, and Buenavista.

In another shooting incident recorded in Tagbilaran, the victim survived; and each in those recorded in Dauis and Inabanga.

Police provincial director, PSSupt. Dennis Agustin, reported during the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting on Thursday last week that the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) recorded 415 shooting incidents from 2013-2015—177 in 2013, 110 in 2014, and 128 in 2015.

Agustin also reported that 211 loose firearms—73 high-powered, 138 low-powered—had been confiscated last year in 188 police operations in 2015 that resulted to the arrest of 108 persons and filing of 114 cases in court.

In 2014, the BPPO recorded 225 operations where 302 loose firearms were confiscated that included 123 high-powered and 184 low-powered firearms from 165 persons arrested, resulting to the filing of 155 cases in court.

On the other hand, Agustin said the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army are now close undertaking pre-emptive measures in the light of the upcoming election in May, in reference to the recorded election-related violent incidents (ERVIs) in the 2013 election.

The ERVIs in 2013 included seven shooting incidents of the eight in the record.

Agustin cited the case of Lemuel Tradio, then barangay captain of Batuan, Buenavista on February 11, 2013 where the suspect remained unidentified and. Tradio was forced to transfer residence for his safety.

Two other shooting incidents in Buenavista remained unsolved where the victims died—Danilo Torrejas, then barangay captain of Cawag on the February 26, 2013 incident, and Percival Narciso Sebua, a barangay kagawad of Bonot-bonot on the March 17, 2013 incident.

Also an ERVI, former barangay captain Lorenzo Degamo was killed in a shooting incident on May 11, 2013 in Clarin. The suspects, Dennis Sangrenes and Lito Donio, both residents of Mataub, Clarin were arrested but managed to post bail.

Agustin also cited the case of former Cortes mayor Apolinaria Balistoy and then municipal councilor Junn Eckart Balistoy who already migrated Canada. They survived the shooting incident on April 13, 2013 and the suspect—then barangay councilor Enrique Boctoto of Loreto, Cortes was later arrested.

In a shooting incident on May 12, 2013 in Bilar, Gener Idulsa, an employee of the municipal government was wounded. The suspect, ex-Army captain Elmer Namocat whose live-in partner, Ramoncita Cabusao was running for municipal councilor under UNA, was charged in court. Namocat is now running for mayor and Cabusao for vice mayor.

Another ERVI recorded in 2013 was a grenade explosion in Trinidad on May 4, 2013 where the victim, Pablo Molos, a municipal councilor of the town, was killed and the suspect remained unidentified.

In reference to the upcoming elections in May, Agustin said investigators noted one significant incident with political inclination which is the case of Engr. Ermilando Torregosa who served as political adviser of LP mayoralty candidate in Buenavista, Roseller Bañez.

Torregosa died when unidentified riding in tandem gunned him down on November 23 last year in the port area of Tubigon.

In a police operation on January 2 this year, the combined forces of a team from Inabanga Police Station and the Provincial Public Safety-SWAT team killed a known contract killer, Renato Petalcorin, who had been tagged in “the murder of PO3 Herminigildo Abella in 2013, a few months after the intense elections in Inabanga”.

Renato Petalcorin was killed along with a certain Daniel Calape—who was also found to be armed, when they opened fire at the pursuing cops.

Renato Petalcorin was also tagged in the murder of barangay captain of San Jose, Inabanga–Flora Vitor, barangay captain Randy Jumamoy, Eufemio Ohendras; and in the frustrated murder of Lucino Lumayag.

Agustin also cited the arrest of alleged leaders of an extortionist group, Renilo Sampaga and Roland Bregente, during an entrapment operation on December 19 last year in Cortes.

The their modus, the “suspects claimed as member of Communist Party Of The Philippines, National Democratic Front New People’s Army (CPP-NDF NPA) in order to extort money from their victims”.

One of the victims was Engr. Jimmy Etino of Sargaso Construction that is implementing an ongoing repair project of Abatan Bridge of sitio Liloan in Barangay Poblacion, Cortes.

The latest to fall was Elly Job Cabahug, described by Agustin as a “notorious assassin and big-time drug dealer from the town of Buenavista who had terrorized residents in the second district.

Cabahug was killed in a dramatic shootout with the personnel from Camp Dagohoy on January 16 in Getafe.