Slay plots vs 2 other Ecija mayors revealed

CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines – The self-confessed gunman in the killing of Mayor Restituto Abad of Carranglan town yesterday bared assassination plots against two more town mayors in Nueva Ecija.

Jonathan Carpio, who owned up to the killing of Abad and the wounding of his driver-bodyguard last Feb. 4, said Mayors Wilfredo Domingo of Licab town and Virgilio Bote of Gen. Tinio were both on the hit list.

Carpio alleged it was former vice mayor Teodoro Ilagan Jr. who hired him to assassinate Domingo and Bote. Domingo is a loyal ally of the Josons, while Bote used to an ally of both the Umali and Joson camps.  

Carpio, however, said Ilagan never discussed with him how much he was supposed to receive for the hit jobs, if successfully carried out.

Earlier, Carpio tagged Ilagan and Rafael Otic, provincial environment and natural resources officer, as the alleged brains behind the ambush on Abad and his driver-bodyguard, Army soldier Saldy Duclayan, along the provincial road in Barangay Saranay, Guimba town in the afternoon of Feb. 4.

Abad died five days later while undergoing treatment at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. 

Carpio’s revelation prompted the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the Philippine National Police’s Intelligence Group to file before the Department of Justice murder and frustrated murder charges against Otic and Ilagan.