By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
BAROBO, Surigao del Sur — Police have identified the gunman who tried to assassinate Barobo Mayor Ronito Martizano and his military security aide, Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel said, adding that investigators are still looking into the motive behind the attack.
Martizano, 60, and his escort, Private First Class Khevin Mark Claridad, 29, a member of the Philippine Army’s 67th Infantry Battalion, were wounded in the shooting but are now in stable condition while recuperating at a local hospital.
Pimentel said he was briefed by Surigao del Sur police director Col. Jeffrey Lawrence Mauricio regarding the identity of the suspected gunman, believed to be a former worker of the mayor. The suspect’s name is being withheld pending further investigation.
According to the Barobo police, the incident occurred at around 4:10 p.m. when Martizano was on his way back to the town proper. The Toyota Hi Ace van he was riding in was blocked by a Toyota Vios along a road in Barangay Dughan, after which the shooting ensued.
The attack came barely a week after Martizano personally supervised the dismantling of equipment and paraphernalia used in a gold mining tunnel allegedly operated by Chinese financiers.
Investigators have also traced the vehicle used in the ambush, which was registered in Davao City. Police said the car had been sold to another, still unidentified person for P65,000.
“We are still looking into different angles on the motive of the shooting—whether it is politically motivated or related to illegal mining,” Pimentel said.
“I vehemently condemn the shooting incident. Violence has no place here in Surigao del Sur,” the governor added in an interview with local media covering a strategic meeting on anti-illegal mining efforts on Saturday, Feb. 7. The meeting was attended by Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda Jr., executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Following the shooting, Police Brig. Gen. Marcial Mariano P. Magistrado IV, regional director of Police Regional Office 13 (PRO-13), went to Barobo to personally check on the condition of the mayor and to assure him of the full support of the Philippine National Police.
Magistrado also inspected the vehicle used by the mayor during the incident and directed police units to intensify investigative, intelligence, and operational efforts to ensure the swift identification and arrest of those responsible.
“PRO-13 strongly condemns this senseless act of violence. We will mobilize all necessary resources and leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators are brought before the bar of justice,” Magistrado said.
Martizano has been a vocal critic of large-scale illegal gold mining operations in Barobo. In an Oct. 18, 2025 interview with the Inquirer, he said he had been receiving death threats due to his strong stance against illegal mining activities.
He said death threats persisted even during the height of last year’s local election campaign, when he faced Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, a key whistleblower in the high-profile disappearance case involving “sabungeros,” or cockfighting enthusiasts.
In the same interview, Martizano said he had banned gold mining near riverbanks and had received reports of possible ambushes linked to his opposition to illegal mining groups.
Before entering politics, Martizano served as Barobo’s Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO). As mayor, he issued several cease-and-desist orders against allegedly illegal mining operations backed by well-financed groups.
He has also been pushing for a long-term shift from small-scale mining to agriculture, citing the vast arable lands in Barobo’s countryside as a more sustainable source of livelihood.
###
