Municipal vice mayor survives slay attempt

ROXAS, Isabela — The vice mayor of nearby Quirino town, along with three of his companions, survived an ambush here last Tuesday, police said yesterday.

Vice Mayor Samuel Uy, along with councilor Iresteo Manlutac, municipal assessor Efren Nagum and budget officer Juan Mesa, were waylaid by two gunmen on the night of Oct. 24.

Except for Uy, his three companions and their driver sustained gunshot wounds, but are now recovering at a hospital here.

Police investigators said the vice mayor’s group was headed home when the red Nissan Sentra they were riding in was fired upon by two motorcycle-riding men with M-16 Armalite rifles, along the provincial road here.

Initial investigation showed that the ambush was politically motivated. Uy, a member of the Lapian ng Masang Pilipino, is said to be a strong mayoral contender in his hometown in the coming local elections.

Senior Superintendent James Melad, provincial police director, said that two police officers are now being investigated in connection with the ambush.

Probers said they have received information that the two policemen, whose identities were withheld, might have been responsible for the ambush. — Charlie Lagasca