Second Philippine mayor shot dead

Manila, July 4: A second Philippines town mayor has been shot dead by an unknown assailant, a day after another mayor was assassinated by a sniper in a brazen daylight attack, police said on Wednesday. Mayor Ferdinand Bote of the town of General Tinio in Nueva Ecija province was gunned down by a motorcycle-riding suspect in nearby Cabanatuan City on Tuesday afternoon, the police told CNN Philippines. Bote was struck multiple times while riding in his SUV. He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital and an investigation has been launched.

The killing comes just over 24 hours after Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili was killed by a single shot to the chest while attending a flag-raising ceremony. Halili was a controversial ally of President Rodrigo Duterte who gained notoriety for his policy of parading people arrested for drug offences, reports CNN. It was revealed on Monday that Halili had been stripped of his authority over local police in October 2017 on an order from the Department of Interior, according to Police Chief Superintendent Renato Mercado. It remains unclear if the two deaths are linked. (IANS)