Nueva Ecija mayor killed in ambush

THE bullet-riddled vehicle of Mayor Ferdinand Bote. TV Grab

Motorcycle-riding gunmen yesterday afternoon shot dead Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, a day after the assassination of Tanauan Mayor Antonio Halili in Batangas.

Senior Insp. Adrian Gabriel confirmed the killing of Bote as he was coming from the National Irrigation Administration office in Cabanatuan City before 6 p.m.

Bote was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital. He was ambushed while inside his vehicle, with his daughter and a driver, whose conditions remained uncertain at press time.

On the other hand, investigators theorized Halili was shot by a sniper using an M-14 rifle.

Malacañang, through the office of presidential spokesman Harry Roque, issued the following statement on the killing:

“On the ambush of Mayor Ferdinand, we are confident PNP chief Director-General Oscar Albayalde would be able to conduct a fair and thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We assure everyone that we would discharge the state obligation for every murder. We will spare no effort in getting to the bottom of this latest violent crime.

“Our deep condolences go to the bereaved family of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote.”

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Chief Aaron Aquino has directly linked Halili to the drug trade, along with several other local executives.

“Sangkot siya (Halili) sa illegal drugs. Meron din siyang affiliation sa isang mayor dito sa Central Luzon na nag-o-operate sa Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan at Nueva Ecija (He is involved in illegal drugs. He was affiliated with a mayor in Central Luzon operating in Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan and Nueva Ecija),” Aquino said.

Earlier, Roque, at a press briefing, had vowed justice for the killing of Halili.

Halili’s daughter Angeline, meanwhile, said his father “would rather die than become a drug lord.”

She characterized her father as one who had “lived a simple life, a hardworking man who started making a living when he was 16.”

President Duterte, in a speech hours after the killing, likened Halili to former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and Ozamiz City ex-Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog who were killed during separate police operations in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Espinosa, father of detained suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, was killed while inside the Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail in November 2016.

On the other hand, Parojinog was killed, along with his wife Susan and 13 others, following a shootout at his residence in Ozamiz City July last year.

The three mayors were included in Mr. Duterte’s “narco list” –- composed of politicians involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs either as protectors or peddlers.