Cagayan Town Mayor Shot Dead by Suspected NPA Rebels

A town mayor in Cagayan Province was shot dead early Monday morning after the flag ceremony where the suspects were said to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA), provincial police said.

Cagayan Provincial Police Chief Senior Superintendent Gregorio Lim said Gonzaga town mayor Carlito Pentecostes Jr. was about to deliver a speech when two men suddenly approached him and opened fire. The province’s police chief said he suspects NPA guerrillas was behind the assassination.

In a report, Lim said the assailants were among 20 suspected NPA members who were in the vicinity during the flag ceremony. “Confirmed [na] NPA,” the police official claimed.

Lim said the mayor died from at least three gunshot wounds.

Reports said the shooting incident occurred at about 8 am at the municipal hall. Lim added that pursuit operations are ongoing against the armed men who were riding an Elf-type truck and a van.

Lim added the police are looking into the possibility that the killing was related to suspected black sand mining operation in the area, noting the NPAs had protested this issue.

Source: GMA News Online