MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Gunmen in military uniforms killed a governor and five civilians Saturday as the provincial leader met with villagers at his home in central Philippines, in the latest brutal attack on local politicians in the country.
At least six men armed with assault rifles and wearing camouflage and military-style jackets got out of three SUVs and opened fire on Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, hitting him and five others in front of his home, originally from the city of Pamplona. . . The province has a history of violent political rivalries.
Pamplona mayor Janice Degamo, wife of the slain governor, said in a Facebook video that the five villagers were also dead.
She called for justice and said her husband “didn’t deserve that kind of death. He served the voters on Saturday alongside the heads of departments.”
A total of 10 suspects were seen fleeing the scene and later abandoned the SUVs, police said. Police set up security checkpoints and launched a province-wide search for the suspects.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the mid-morning attack, which occurred as poor villagers gathered outside Degamo’s house to seek medical and other assistance.
“My government will not rest until we bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice,” Marcos said in a statement.
Marcos said, without elaborating, that authorities had gathered “a lot of information and now have a clear direction on how to proceed to bring those behind this assassination to justice.” He addressed the mind and the killers, saying, “We will find you. Surrendering now will be the best option.”
Degamo’s killing underscores that even local politicians are not immune to high-profile gun violence, which has persisted despite the government’s commitment to combat it.
Last month, Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of the southern province of Lanao del Sur was wounded and four of his guards were killed in an attack on their convoy. Police said they killed one of the suspects in a shootout.
In a recent separate attack, unidentified men wearing police uniforms shot into the van of the northern city of Aparri, Deputy Mayor Rommel Alameda, killing him and five companions in the northern province of Nueva Vizcaya. The suspects remain at large.
Crime, decades-long Muslim and communist rebellions and other security issues are some of the main problems inherited from Marcos, who took office last June.
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