Presidential candidate ‘Ka Leody’ de Guzman and two members of his senatorial slate were met with gunfire from unidentified assailaints while their party, the “Partido Lakas ng Masa” (Power of the Masses Party), were meeting with indigenous Lumad farmers in the town of Quezon in Mindanao.
The progressive labor leader, who is trailing in electoral polls but has earned a devoted online following for his pro-worker stance and anti-bourgeois rhetoric, had come with senatorial candidates Roy Cabonegro and David D’Angelo to support 500 farmers from the local Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe who had peacefully asserted their ancestral claim over a property in the town when gunmen opened fire at them. Reports estimate the number of assailants was around 50.
On Twitter, Ka Leody confirmed that he and the senatorial candidates survived unscathed, while Nonie Abella, one of the farmers group’s organizers, and a leader of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe were injured.
Salamat sa mga nag-alala. Ako po at sila kasamang Roy Cabonegro at David D'angelo ay ligtas.
— Ka Leody de Guzman (@LeodyManggagawa) April 19, 2022
Ang tinamaan ay ang nasa tabi ko, si Nanie Abela, na organizer ng mga magsasaka sa Mindanao. Casualty rin ang isang lider ng tribong Manobo-Pulangiyon.
D’Angelo managed to record the incident on Facebook Live. The first gunshot can be heard 16 minutes into the livestream.
Five people were reportedly injured in the ordeal and all were rushed to a hospital in the nearby town of Maramag.
Ka Leody’s party and the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe were meeting at a property located within 900 hectares of land, reportedly administered by Quezon town Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III. The Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe has maintained that the land is part of their ancestral domain.
Meanwhile, local police said that it was “too premature” to determine if the shooting incident was election-related.
