A blog post for fellow Masbateños.

The killing of Arturo Maristela, the vice mayor of Aroroy, Masbate, has once again established and fortified the province as the political killing capital of the Philippines (forget about Maguindanao). Gunned down by a motorcycle-riding tandem last January 4, 2010 at West Fairview, Quezon City, Vice Mayor Arturo Maristela is a victim of another premeditated and politically motivated assassination. According to supporters he was killed because he left his party-mates and shifted to the rival party. He was a potential candidate for congressional post in his district in the forthcoming 2013 elections.

The vice mayor’s killing, when contrasted with the late Congressman Fausto Seachon’s assassination in 2005, established a similar and familiar pattern. The late vice mayor and the late congressman shared somewhat parallel fate: both were killed approximately two years ahead of elections in their respective time. The motive of the killings, supporters alleged, was to preclude election victory. They were both killed in the places where and when they are most vulnerable – away from their respective turfs. In Masbate, hearing news of killings like this, especially during elections, is nothing but a routine, a way of life, an ordinary event for us Masbateños.