Labor union leader gunned down in Cavite

MANILA, Philippines - A group of unidentified men on Monday morning gunned down a government employee who was said to be an active labor union leader in Cavite province, local authorities said. Imus policeman PO1 Marvin Malabanan who is handling the case identified the slain victim as Gerry Cristobal, who was killed along Aguinaldo Highway in Barangay Anabu I-B in Imus town before 8 a.m. Malaban said a follow-up operation is underway to determine the identities of the suspects even as police are considering the possibility that the killing may be labor-related. Cristobal worked as a coordinator for the Public Employees Service Office (PESO) in Rosario, Cavite and remains an active union leader at the Yazaki-EMI, a manufacturer of wire harness for cars, where he was previously employed. "Hindi na siya nagta-trabaho doon sa Yazaki pero active pa rin siya sa unyon nila (He no longer works for Yasaki-EMI but remains active in the company's labor union)," Malabanan told GMANews.TV. Initial police investigation showed that the victim who was bound for Manila was driving his box-type, moss green Mitsubishi Lancer (PKL-603) when attacked by the three to five assailants who were on board a Toyota Innova vehicle without a plate number. After the shooting, Cristobal's vehicle swerved into a gasoline station and smashed into a parked Toyota Corolla. The men inside the car were unhurt in the collision. Imus is a 97-village first class municiplilty in northern Cavite with a population of 195,482 people in 42,232 households. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV