The person recently shot dead in Lamitan City, Basilan was not an uncle of Dr. Chao Tiao-Yumol, the suspect in the killing of former Lamitan City Mayor Rosita “Rose” Furigay and two others, the police clarified.
Several Facebook pages had reported that the victim, identified as Bhis Isniyan Yumol Asdali, was an uncle of Yumol, who was arrested following the shooting incident at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on 24 July.
Asdali, a rubber tapper, died at the terrace of his house in Sitio Muhibal, Barangay Campo Uno in Lamitan after he was shot multiple times by an unidentified suspect at around 9:15 on Saturday, 6 August.
In its initial report, the Lamitan police wrote “Yumol” as the middle name of the victim.
Some Facebook pages and users immediately spread the information that he was an uncle of the controversial Dr. Yumol, the suspect in the killing of Furigay, her aide Victor Capistrano and university security guard Jeneven Bandiala.
The slain mayor was to attend the graduation ceremony of her daughter, who finished law school.
In its succeeding report, the Lamitan police omitted “Yumol” from Asdali’s full name, and presented an identification card showing the victim’s real identity.
“We can confirm now that the man killed was not related to Dr. Chao Tiao-Yumol or someone who worked with his family,” said Colonel Pedro Martinez, provincial police commander of Basilan province.
Five days after the Ateneo shooting, Dr. Yumol’s father, Rolando Yumol, was gunned down at the family-owned store in Lamitan City on 29 July, fueling speculations on social media that it was a case of revenge killing.
According to some Facebook users, the killing of Asdali was also part of the retaliation for the death of Furigay, who was Lamitan mayor for three terms from 2013 to 2022.
Under Furigay’s leadership, Lamitan received the Seal of Good Local Governance award from the Interior and Local Government four times. The current mayor of Lamitan is Roderick Furugay, the husband of the slain mayor.
Dr. Yumol had accused the Furigay’s of involvement in the illegal drugs trade in Lamitan, which is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
But on Sept. 20, 2019, the Philippine National Police’s Drug Enforcement Group (DEG) based in Camp Crame issued a certification that cleared the Furigays of involvement in the illegal drug trade. As of January 15, 2021, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also certified that the slain mayor Furigay had no pending case involving Republic 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The Facebook page of the City Government of Lamitan, posted that Yumol could have a grudge with the Furigays.
In 2019, the late mayor implemented the cease and desist order issued by the Bangsamoro region’s Ministry of Health against Yumol for operating his infirmary without a license.
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories. (Ferdinandh Cabrera and Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
(This fact-check piece was produced with the support of Internews’ Philippine Fact-Checker Incubator Project.)
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