Account of Incident:
Account of Incident:
On March 23, 2009 at around 8:25am, Sabina “Ka Sabeng” Ariola, urban poor activist and chairperson of Mamamayan ng Sta. Rosa para sa Kagalingan, Kaunlaran at Kapayapaan (MSRK3), along with other members of the said organization, was about to go to the town plaza aboard an elf truck.
The truck was stationed inside Metroville Subdivision in Barangay (village) Pook when all of a sudden, a lone gunman wearing sunglasses and cap and armed with a .45 caliber pistol climbed up the truck and fired a single shot aimed at Ka Sabeng. The bullet hit Ka Sabeng in her abdomen, exited from her body and the same bullet hit the face of MSRK3 member Adelaida Calosa, who at that time was sitting behind Ka Sabeng.
The assailant fled right away. Some of Ka Sabeng’s companions ran after the assailant but were not able to get hold of him.
Both victims were rushed to the hospital. Ka Sabeng died at 11 PM of March 23, while Adelaida remains in critical condition up to this writing.
The Mamamayan ng Sta. Rosa para sa Kagalingan, Kaunlaran at Kapayapaan (MSRK3) or Citizens of Sta. Rosa for Welfare, Development and Peace is an organization in Sta. Rosa, Laguna advocating for the social amelioration and development of the urban poor. On August 27, 2004, former MSRK3 chairperson Mely Carvajal was also gunned down by a single assailant in front of her house in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. ###