In a bid to crack the case of the brutal murder of election officer Mark Orlando Vallecer II, police in Lanao del Norte have called upon several individuals believed to have crucial information. The 51-year-old was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding assailants in Salvador town on November 25. Col. Roy Magsalay, the head of the provincial police, confirmed that two people have been brought in for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation. Vallecer, who worked in the nearby town of Nunungan, had reportedly been the target of death threats prior to his assassination. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its employees’ union have vehemently denounced the attack. Angelo Ray Obrero, president of the All-Xavier University High School Alumni Association in Cagayan de Oro, demanded quick justice, highlighting Vallecer’s invaluable service to the community. Known affectionately as ‘JhoVals,’ Vallecer’s impact was profound, according to Obrero. This tragic event follows closely on the heels of another election officer’s murder, John Nico Pandoy, aged 31, who was killed in Sultan Kudarat’s President Quirino town just two days earlier. Authorities are exploring potential connections between these two heinous crimes.
