Batangas City politics turns violent; 5 men abducted and killed

By MA. VINNAH DELGADO April 6, 2004, 8:00am

BATANGAS CITY Politics here turned violent as the city mayors relatives and business associates were terrified by raids which led to ambush, abduction and execution of six men in two consecutive days. Last April 2 at about 6:30 a.m., some 100 elements of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division (RIID) of Police MIMAROPA Region and 402nd Mobile Group conducted simultaneous raids on the houses of the relatives of incumbent Mayor Eduardo B. Dimacuha. Among the houses raided were the house of Ruben Dimacuha at Arce subdivision, barangay Kumintang Ibaba and his office on Diversion Road, Balagtas; the house of Tomas Dimacuha Sr. also in barangay Kumintang Ibaba; house of barangay captain Tomas "Jun" Dimacuha Jr. at Lourdes subdivision, barangay Bolbok; and the house of Guillermo Exconde at Arrieta subdivision, barangay 20, all in this city. Ruben is a brother of Mayor Dimacuha, while Tomas Sr. is his uncle. Jun is his cousin. Exconde is a business associate of Jun and said to be a close ally of the city mayor. The search warrant was issued by Judge Paterno Tac-an of Batangas Citys Regional Trial Court Branch 84. Elements of the MIMAROPA police conducted the search for illegal firearms and ammunition. On the same day at about 8 p.m., Exconde and his four bodyguards, were abducted by allegedy "faked NBI agents." Julius Bilena, 29, one of the houseboys of the Excondes, said that armed men wearing bonnets forcibly entered the gates and introduced themselves as NBI agents. Before Exconde was taken, he was able to phone his friends and inform them of what was happening. This prompted Excondes bodyguard, known as Mike, to follow the group. But Mike was ambushed while on board a Honda Accord car on Diversion Road, Bolbok, this city. Authorities identified the dead bodyguard as Michael Maranan, 34, and his two companions who were seriously wounded as Salvador Labay, 44, and Rexon Resurrection, 28. The next day, April 3, at about 7 a.m., the bodies of the five abducted men were seen floating under the bridge at the boundary of barangay Tinga, this city and barangay Sabang, Ibaan.