P’panga mayor’s son killed in ambush

APALIT, Pampanga — The eldest son of this town’s mayor was killed in an ambush along the MacArthur Highway here early yesterday morning, police said.

Probers initially bewailed the refusal of witnesses to help them pin down at least three suspects in the ambush-killing of Roy Lacanilao, 34, son of Mayor Tirso Lacanilao.

A suspect, a certain Raymond Santos Dominguez, 22, was later arrested in Calumpit, Bulacan. Senior Superintendent Renato Soria, Apalit police chief, said he tested positive for gunpowder burns in a paraffin test.

Police suspect that a "love triangle" was involved in the killing.

SPO4 Valdemare Balingit, chief investigator of the case, said Roy sustained at least 10 gunshot wounds from M-14 rifles in different parts of the body.

"I don’t know of any enemy of his," the mayor told The STAR, saying he has full confidence in the local police to catch his son’s killers.

Balingit said Roy, whose wife died of cancer only two weeks ago, was driving his silver Mitsubishi Outlander along the MacArthur Highway in Barangay Sulipan and was negotiating a right turn toward his home in Barangay Capalangan some 500 meters away when the ambushers fired at him. He was alone in his vehicle.

"Two (of the ambushers) positioned themselves at the corner and fired the first volley as Roy’s SUV (sports utility vehicle) was turning right. His van then ditched into a canal and hit a post," he said.

Balingit said the ambushers approached Roy’s van and peppered his vehicle with more bullets. The vehicle had about 60 bullet holes, he added.

The two gunmen, fled on board a silver Toyoto Vios, he said.

"Our theory is that there were at least three suspects, including the driver of the Toyota Vios who remained in the vehicle as the two gunmen carried out the ambush," Balingit said.

He said that only a few days ago, Roy’s wife died of cancer. The couple left behind three children, the eldest of whom is only 10 years old.

"We are having some difficulty because witnesses have refused to talk more. None of them would testify that they saw the license plate of the (ambushers’) vehicle," he said.

Roy was reportedly involved in used cars. His father is a three-term mayor who earlier had expressed his willingness to run as vice governor in next year’s elections. — With Cecille Suerte Felipe