Village chief shot dead

ANGELES CITY, Philippines   â€“ Unidentified gunmen killed a village chairman in this city near a cockpit in Barangay Recto Sunday night.

Efren dela Cruz, 65, of Barangay Sto. Cristo, died on the spot from two gunshots to the head, city police director Senior Superintendent Eden Ugale said.

Dela Cruz was a former president of the city’s Association of Barangay Chairman, according to Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan.

“He championed the cause of peace and order in the city,” Pamintuan told The STAR over the phone.

Ugale said the gunmen apparently used a caliber .45 pistol in killing Dela Cruz, who was about to board his van at the back of the Angeles University Foundation.

As of yesterday, probers were still looking for witnesses who could identify the gunmen.

Ugale said Dela Cruz had just initiated a cockfight derby in the area when he was killed. “His aide had gone ahead of him and he was among the last to leave,” he said.

Pamintuan expressed belief that someone could have seen the killing, as the crime scene was well lit and located near a store and dormitory.

Dela Cruz was among the 34 newly elected barangay chairmen in this city who took their oath of office before Pamintuan last Friday.