Anti-mining village chief shot dead in Mindoro

A staunch anti-mining village official in Oriental Mindoro province was shot dead in his house last week, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said Saturday. The CBCP news site identified the victim as Ricardo Ganad, 56, president of Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. Ganat was on the terrace of his house when he was shot by two men. He succumbed to gunshot wounds in different parts of the body. Police and National Bureau of Investigation operatives are investigating on the case. But Fr. Edu Gariguez of Mangyan Mission and spokesman of ALAMIN, an anti-mining group in Mindoro, said Ganad’s family suspects politics could be one of the reasons for his murder. “ABC Ganad is an ally and supporter of Mayor Alfredo Ortega, Jr., the incumbent Mayor of Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, who is a staunch oppositor to the Mindoro Nickel Project of Intex Resources," said Gariguez. He also said some town councilors are not discounting the angle that the killing might have been related to the mining issue. “Although Ganad was elected on his anti-mining stand, he was reported to have been approached several times by the pro-mining group to join their side in exchange for certain favors," he added. Gariguez said the cold-blooded murder left those opposing the mining project of Intex feeling scared. “They think that the precision by which the killing was executed was a trademark of hired killer out to frighten the groups and personalities like Ganad who are against the mining operation," he said. -LBG, GMANews.TV