MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Chelsy Olofernes, the daugher of slain Dinagat board member Wenefredo Olofernes, has received support to take over the seat of her father.

On Friday, July 26, the Dinagat Islands Provincial Employees Association (DIPEA) released a resolution and a manifesto of support for the younger Olofernes. The manifesto was signed by both members and non-members of the employees’ union.

“[W]e are united in respectfully urging the provincial government to honor the memory of board member Olofernes by allowing his daughter, Chelsy, to take his seat in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. We firmly believe that she will continue his legacy as an independent and as someone who was well-loved by the employees of the Capitol,” the employees said in their manifesto.

The barangay captain associations in Basalisa, Libjo, and Loreto have also expressed support for the younger Olofernes through resolutions signed by the village chiefs. The municipal councils of Libjo and Tubajon also passed resolutions backing her.

Basilisa, Libjo, Loreto, and Tubajon comprise the first provincial district, which was represented by the older Olofernes before he was killed.

Wenefredo Olofernes was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Surigao City on Sunday morning, July 7.

According to the police, Olofernes and his partner were on their way home aboard a motorcycle in Surigao City when a gunman also in a motorcycle fired one shot.

The shot hit Olofernes in the head, killing him. His partner, meanwhile, sustained bruises from the encounter. – Rappler.com