BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan -- An activist leader allegedly affiliated with the Anakpawis party-list, was shot dead here Monday evening.
Supt. Marceliano Desamito Jr., chief of the Bayambang Police Station, said the victim, Roberto “Ka Bobby” Mejia, was riding his tricycle after selling his farm produce at the Bayambang public market, when killed by still unidentified men.
The victim succumbed to four gunshot wounds in different parts of his body.
“He was rushed to the hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival,” Desamito said in an interview Tuesday.
His companion, Miguelito Mejia, was unharmed, he added.
Mejia was the leader of the Ulopan na Umbaley ed Camp Gregg Military Reservation, an affiliate of the Pangasinan chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in this town.
Reports from the victim’s colleagues say that “Ka Bobby”, as he was fondly called, was one of the leaders who actively participated in the “bungkalan” campaign involving a six-hectare land in Barangay Sancagulis here subjected to land grabbing, Desamito said.
The Bayambang police is still conducting a thorough investigation on the incident.
KMP-Pangasinan and the local chapter of Anakpawis condemned the killing and demanded justice for Mejia. (PNA)
(Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly used the word "suspected" instead of "alleged" in referring to the activist leader. The necessary correction has been made. Apologies for the error.)
