A provincial governor and five other people were shot dead by unknown gunmen in the central Philippines on Saturday, in the latest attack on local officials.
Six suspects carrying rifles and dressed in uniforms similar to those worn by the armed forces entered the governor’s home in Pamplona town and opened fire, according to local police.
According to his widow, Roel Degamo, governor of Negros Oriental province, and five others were killed in the shooting.
“Governor Degamo did not deserve to die in this manner. On a Saturday, he was serving his constituents “Janice Degamo, the mayor of Pamplona, stated this in a Facebook video.
President Ferdinand Marcos condemned what he described as the “assassination” of his political ally and warned the perpetrators to “surrender now it will be your best option”.
“My government will not rest until we have brought the perpetrators of this dastardly and heinous crime to justice,” Marcos added.
The condition of four other people shot in the incident has not been revealed.
According to provincial police spokesman Kym Lopez, the politician was shot while distributing aid to fellow citizens.
Police said they were looking for ten people, including the six gunmen, who fled the scene in two SUVs and a pickup truck before abandoning them in a nearby city.
Degamo, 56, is the latest victim of the Philippines’ long history of political assassination, and at least the third since last year’s local elections.
Following a recount that deposed his local rival, who had previously been declared the winner, the Supreme Court last month declared him the rightful winner of the contest for the governorship of the Negros Oriental.
