Mayoral bet killed in Tarlac
ANGELES CITY, Philippines — A candidate for mayor in San Jose, Tarlac was shot dead by unidentified men in Barangay Iba in San Jose town Monday.
Rudy Abella, 65, mayoral candidate of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) and president of the San Jose Association of Barangay Captains, was shot seven times while he was meeting with local leaders at around 5 p.m., Tarlac police director Senior Superintendent Alfred Corpus said yesterday.
A certain Marites Pineda was hit by a stray bullet but was reported to be recovering at a nearby hospital.
Police recovered shells for a .45 caliber and a 9mm pistol at the scene.
Corpus said a manhunt for the gunmen and at least three lookouts, who fled on motorcycles, is underway.
He told The STAR investigators are not discounting the possibility that politics could be the motive for the killing but noted that it is very remote since Abella trails re-electionist Mayor Jose Yap of the Nationalist People’s Coalition in the surveys.
Corpus said that Abella, a former policeman, is reportedly in the hit list of the New People’s Army.
San Jose has 15,900 registered voters. The killing of Abella was the first election-related crime in Tarlac.
Corpus said he has no plans to recommend that San Jose or any part of Tarlac be considered as an area of concern in the elections.
Catanduanes mayor survives ambush
Meanwhile, Viga, Catanduanes Mayor Abelardo Abundo Sr. survived an ambush Monday afternoon.
Abundo, 71, was on his way home to Barangay Soboc at past 2 p.m. when an unidentified attacker opened fire at his Kia Pregio van.
A .45 caliber slug was recovered near the driver’s seat. No one was hurt during the attack. – With Ding Cervantes, Ric Sapnu, Christina Mendez, Francis Elevado
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