General Tinio, Nueva Ecija mayor Ferdinand Bote was gunned down while inside his vehicle in Cabanatuan City on Tuesday, July 3.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director Oscar Albayalde said the mayor was on his way out of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) office in Cabanatuan City when he was shot by the still unidentified suspect who was riding a motorcycle.
A CCTV footage of the ambush shows Bote’s beige Toyota Fortuner right outside NIA’s gate when a man in black stood beside the vehicle before shooting the mayor dead.
Bote sustained injuries in different parts of his body and was immediately rushed to the MV Gallego Hospital. The mayor, however, was declared dead-on-arrival.
Meanwhile, Bote’s driver was safe and did not sustain any injuries.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the PNP has been ordered to conduct a “fair and thorough investigation” on the incident.
“We assure everyone that we would discharge the state obligation for every murder. We will spare no effort in getting to the bottom of this latest violent crime,” Roque said.
Bote’s murder happened only a day after the murder of Tanauan City mayor Antonio Halili who was also gunned down during an outdoor flag ceremony.
In a video uploaded by Facebook user Eugenio Ynion Jr., Halili was seen standing among other government employees and newly elected barangay officials during a flag ceremony in the parking lot of the city hall, when he suddenly dropped to the floor after being shot by an unknown sniper.
This caused a commotion among the employees in the area and Mayor Halili ended up dead because of the lone gunshot.
Authorities said that the suspect remains unidentified as he was able to escape the scene.
click here to view the video
Mayor Halili was known for punishing drug suspects by parading them in public. However, there are also reports that he was allegedly involved in some drug operations.