Malabon village exec, wife survive slay try

MANILA, Philippines - A barangay chairman, his wife and their friend survived an ambush by three unidentified gunmen in Malabon City yesterday.

Senior Superintendent Ferdinand Ampil, Malabon City police chief, said Barangay San Agustin chairman Greg Bernardo, 44; his wife Maria Victoria, 42, their village’s lady brigade executive officer; and trader Ronnie Sengco, 39, were unhurt.

The ambush left the Bernardos’ silver Hyundai Starex van with two bullet holes in the driver’s side door, two more in the hood and a shattered windshield and left side mirror.

Several shells and slugs for 9mm and .45 caliber pistols were recovered at the crime scene and inside Bernardo’s vehicle.

Senior Police Officer 4 Edsel de la Paz said Bernardo was driving out of the parking lot of a bar along Gov. Pascual Avenue in Barangay Catmon when the attackers started shooting at around 3:15 a.m. Bernardo shot at the gunmen with his .45 caliber pistol, forcing them to run to a dark portion of Sitio Gulayan. The barangay is a known haven of contract killers in Malabon, police said.

Witnesses described the gunmen to be between 35 and 40 years old, all of them wearing short pants, t-shirts and baseball caps.

Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for the attack.