Armed men strafe house of Palawan mayor

MANILA, Philippines - Unidentified armed men riding in a pickup strafed the house of a town mayor in Palawan province on Sunday night, police said yesterday.

Mimaropa police regional director Chief Superintendent Artemio Hicban said the house of Rizal town, Palawan Mayor Nicolas Montaño in Sitio Sicud, Barangay Candawaga was strafed at around 10 p.m.

Hicban told The STAR that no one was hurt in the incident. The mayor was inside the house at the time of the strafing, which damaged the walls of the house.

Initial reports showed the armed men rode a black Toyota Hilux-type pickup strafed the mayor’s house. After the shooting, the suspects boarded the vehicle parked at the corner of the road about 50 meters away from the house.

The attackers fled toward Bataraza town, southern part of Palawan.

Hicban said the mayor’s bodyguard and policemen nearby responded but failed to catch the attackers.

Police noted that Montaño and his household heard gunfire and immediately sought cover for safety.

Responding lawmen recovered 88 empty shells of .45 caliber pistol, one magazine of .45 caliber and one spent rifle grenade.

Hicban said police could not yet determine the motive behind the attack but tapped the local Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for further investigation.

He added investigators are digging deeper in the attack.