TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – Rivalries related to the upcoming barangay polls appear to be heating up in Santiago City, Isabela as a village councilman was gunned down by motorcycle-riding men before dawn last Saturday.
The victim, councilman Rafael Martinez, 47, was reportedly planning to reclaim the chairmanship of Barangay Centro East, said Superintendent Albert Baggayan, Santiago City police spokesman.
Police said Martinez had just come from a relative’s wake in Barangay Buenavista when he was shot several times with a .45-caliber pistol.