Governor, five others shot dead in latest attack on Philippine politicians – World

A provincial governor in the central Philippines and five others were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Saturday, his widow said, in the latest attack on local officials.

Local police said six suspects with guns and uniforms resembling those used by the armed forces entered the governor’s home in the city of Pamplona and opened fire.

Roel Degamo, governor of Negros Oriental province, and five others were killed in the shooting, his widow said.

“Governor Degamo did not deserve such a death. He ministered to his constituents on a Saturday,” said Janice Degamo, who is also the mayor of Pamplona, ​​in a video posted to Facebook.

President Ferdinand Marcos condemned what he called the “assassination” of his political ally and warned perpetrators to “surrender now, it will be your best option”.

“My government will not rest until we bring the perpetrators of this insidious and heinous crime to justice,” added Marcos.

The condition of four other people shot in the incident was not disclosed.

The politician was distributing relief supplies to voters when he was shot, provincial police spokesman Kym Lopez said AFP.

Police said they were looking for 10 suspects, including the six gunmen who fled the scene in two SUVs and a pickup truck before abandoning the vehicles in a nearby town.

Marco’s ally

Degamo, 56, is the latest target in the long history of attacks on politicians in the Philippines and at least the third to have been shot at since local elections last year.

The Supreme Court last month declared him the legitimate winner of the Negros Oriental gubernatorial contest after a recount unseated his local rival, who had previously been declared the winner.

Degamo also supported Marcos in his own presidential bid last year.

Mamintal Adiong, governor of southern Lanao del Sur province, was shot and wounded in an attack in February that killed his driver and three police escorts.

That same month, the deputy mayor of the northern city of Aparri, Rommel Alameda, and five other passengers were shot dead in an ambush on the highway.

In the bloodiest politically motivated ambush of all time, the leaders of a powerful southern clan and some two dozen supporters were sentenced to life imprisonment for attacking supporters of a rival gubernatorial election in Maguindanao province in 2009.

The attack killed 58 people, including the politician’s wife and relatives, as well as 32 journalists and media workers covering the race.