BATANGAS, Philippines – A ranking police official was gunned down by at least six men in Taal town yesterday morning, authorities said.
Senior Superintendent Rosauro Acio, provincial police director, said the victim, Superintendent Rodney Ramirez, 42, assigned to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit of the Batangas police, was cruising the provincial road on a bicycle when a gray Mitsubishi L-300 van with license plate TKY-349 blocked his path at around 9:45 a.m.
At least six men aboard the van fired at Ramirez, then abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot toward Sta. Teresita town.
Ramirez sustained multiple bullets wounds in the head and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Lemery Doctor’s Hospital.
Police found two spent shells from a caliber .45 and caliber 9-mm at the crime scene.
Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto condemned the killing and ordered the police to conduct an in-depth investigation.
“I feel sad and disgusted. We just finished the Padyak Laban sa Kriminalidad, a joint awareness effort of the PNP and the private and public sectors for peace and order in the province, (then this incident happened),” she said.
Acio said the killing could be linked to Ramirez’s former assignment as an intelligence officer, adding that he had received death threats from drug syndicates since last year.
Acio said the vehicle used by the gunmen belonged to one of the drug syndicates in Taal town. He did not elaborate. – With Non Alquitran