BY EMILY VITAL
Bulatlat.com
Pastor Billy Austin, chairperson of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance or Bayan) Ilocos chapter, was shot by still unidentified men around 9 p.m. last night in Vigan City (407kms north of Manila).
Austin was brought to Lahoz Hospital.
Two other militants, Lenville Salvador and Avelino Dacanay, who were with Austin during the attack, were not hit but traumatized by the incident.
Dr. Carol Araullo, Bayan national chair, said, “We are certain that the attack on Pastor Billy is politically-motivated and the handiwork of the military or death squads. The Arroyo government has not stopped its policy of annihilation against leaders and members of progressive groups despite a case filed against her before the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT).”
Last October 30, Bayan and groups of victims of human rights violations filed charges against Arroyo before the prestigious international tribunal. (Bulatlat.com)
