Ilocos village chief slain

Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines   â€“ A village chief was killed in an ambush by motorcycle-riding men after celebrating his son’s high school graduation in this town on Saturday, police said.

The victim, Melchor Alcantara, 51, chairman of Barangay Nalvo in nearby Sta. Maria town, and his family were on their way home on board a Mitsubishi Adventure after taking lunch in a restaurant here when the attack took place along the highway in Barangay San Antonio, said Chief Inspector Rey Buyucan, Narvacan police chief.

Alcantara was hit in the head, neck and right arm, while his family members were unhurt. Police were checking if politics or a personal grudge motivated the killing.