Published: 4:45 p.m., July 7, 2018 | Updated: 12:32 a.m., July 8, 2018

Gunmen peppered the vehicle carrying the vice mayor of Trece Martires City in Cavite province with bullets in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon, killing the local official instantly, police said.

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Alexander Lubigan, 44, was with his driver-bodyguard Romulo Guillemer and security aide Romeo Edrinal when the gunmen blocked the path of his black Toyota Hi-lux pickup truck and opened fire around 3 p.m. in front of Korea-Philippines Friendship Hospital on the Trece Martires-Indang Road at Barangay Luciano in the province’s capital.

Lubigan became the third high official of a local government unit (LGU) to be killed in a week after Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas province, and Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija province.

The gunmen escaped toward Indang town aboard a black sport utility vehicle, police said.

Third-termer

Senior Supt. William Segun, Cavite police director, said Lubigan died on the spot while Guillemer, 50, died a few hours later at General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital in the city.

Edrinal, 56, survived and was being treated in the city’s Korea-funded hospital.

Lubigan, who ran in the 2016 elections under the United Nationalist Alliance, was on his third term as vice mayor.

Malacañang on Saturday condemned Lubigan’s assassination.

“We ask the leadership of the Philippine National Police to conduct a fair investigation and spare no effort in getting to the bottom of this latest crime,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

“We must band together and put an end to the worrisome incidents of violence involving local politicians,” he added.

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Earlier kills

On Monday, Halili was shot dead by a sniper during flag-raising rites at Tanauan City Hall, while Bote was ambushed the next day by motorcycle-riding gunmen as he left the National Irrigation Administration compound in Cabanatuan City in his sport utility vehicle.

At least 10 town and city mayors have been killed since President Duterte took office in June 2016.

Halili, who was included in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of “narcopoliticians,” was stripped of supervisory powers over the local police amid allegations he was involved in the drug trade.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former chief of the PNP and a friend of Halili, called on the authorities to “bring the bastards responsible [for the three local officials’ deaths], including their masterminds before the bar of justice.”

“Let’s hope and pray that the successive killings of elected officials are not symptomatic of a bloody midterm election next year,” he said.

Rising anxiety

In a radio interview also on Saturday, Lacson said Halili had told him that he was worried he might go up against a retired general in next year’s elections.

Cavite Gov. Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a phone interview that Lubigan was on his way to a gym when the gunmen struck.

“[I’ve] never heard of any adverse behavior from him,” Remulla said of his “good friend” Lubigan.

Trece Martires City Mayor Melandres de Sagun, a party mate of Lubigan, was on leave abroad, according to Remulla who signed the mayor’s travel documents two weeks ago.

Supt. Chitadel Gaoiran, spokesperson for the Calabarzon police, said investigators were primarily looking into politics as the motive of the killing. He did not elaborate.

The brazenness of the killings have increased anxieties among elected public officials who now fear for their lives when they venture out of their homes, according to Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap).

Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara, president of Ulap, strongly condemned the killings of Halili, Bote and Lubigan, saying the incidents seriously affected the work of local officials. —With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Michael Jaucian and Inquirer Research

/atm /pdi

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MOST READ</s>(UPDATED) Vice Mayor Alex Lubigan is the 5th vice mayor killed since President Rodrigo Duterte took office

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Vice Mayor Alex Lubigan of Trece Martires, Cavite, was shot dead on Saturday, July 7, the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Calabarzon confirmed.

According to an initial spot report, Lubigan was on board a black Toyota Hilux when a black Montero fired at the victim's vehicle "and resulted in his unfortunate death."



The incident happened past 3 pm on Saturday in front of the Korean Hospital on Indang Road, Barangay Luciano in Trece Martires.

The police said in an update that ‪a certain Romulo Guillemer, who was with Lubigan, was rushed to the General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital, and was in critical condition.

Lubigan's death comes in the same week of the assassinations of two mayors, Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas; and Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.

Lubigan is the 5th vice mayor to be killed since President Rodrigo Duterte took office. Lubigan's death brings to 15 the number of mayors and vice mayors killed in the Duterte administration. – With reports from Rambo Talabong/Rappler.com</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine police say van-riding assailants have gunned down the vice mayor of a small city south of Manila in the third such brazen assaults on local officials this week that have sparked an alarm.

Police say Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan of Trece Martires city and his driver were riding in a pickup van when they were shot and killed Saturday in front of a hospital in his city in Cavite province. The killers escaped.

Mayor Antonio Halili was gunned down while attending a flag-raising ceremony in his city of Tanauan south of Manila on Monday. Mayor Ferdinand Bote of northern General Tinio town was shot and killed in an SUV the following day by motorcycle-riding assassins. The killers of both mayors remain at large.</s>In this June 12, 2018 file photo, Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during the 120th Philippine Independence day celebration at the Emilio Aguinaldo shrine in Kawit, Cavite Philippines. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Gunmen killed a city vice mayor in the Philippines on Saturday, police said, less than a week after two mayors were shot dead in separate incidents, including one President Rodrigo Duterte said may have had links to illegal drugs.

The latest attack brought to 15 the number of mayors and vice mayors killed since Mr. Duterte unleashed his deadly anti-narcotics campaign when he came to power in 2016, according to CNN Philippines, citing a tally of its own research team.

Mr. Duterte has a watchlist of local officials suspected to have links to illegal drug trade.

The daughter of one of the other victims this week said her father was not involved in drugs and police investigators said they had not received any information linking the other to the trade.

Police have killed more than 4,200 suspected drugs dealers and users since Mr. Duterte came to power. Several thousand more have been murdered by unknown gunmen, described by authorities as vigilantes or rival gang members.

Police have denied the allegations by rights groups and critics of the campaign that some of the killings were summary executions, saying they had to use deadly force because the suspects, who were armed, had violently resisted arrest.

Alexander Lubigan, vice mayor of Trece Martires City in Cavite, south of Manila, was in a sports utility vehicle when unidentified gunmen aboard another SUV opened fire, police said.

The motive and identities of the gunmen in the latest killing were still being investigated, said Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza, a police regional director.

A companion of Lubigan in the vehicle, described by media reports as his driver and bodyguard, was also killed.

On Monday, Mayor Antonio Halili (72), of Tanauan City in Batangas, south of Manila, was hit by a bullet in the chest during a flag-raising ceremony in front of the city hall.

Halili had gained prominence in 2016 for parading drug suspects in the streets of Tanauan, but he was included in Duterte's watchlist of local leaders.

Mr. Duterte has said the mayor may have had some drug involvement and his campaign to parade suspects was a ploy to convince police he was not engaged in the illegal drug trade. Halili's daughter denied her father had links to the drugs trade.

On Tuesday, gunmen on a motorcycle killed Mayor Ferdinand Bote (57), of General Tinio town in northern Nueva Ecija province, but police said he was not linked to the drug trade.</s>Filipino vice mayor killed; 3rd such gun attack of the week

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Van-riding assailants gunned down the vice mayor of a small Philippine city south of Manila on Saturday, police said, the third such brazen killing of a local official in the past week.

Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan of Trece Martires city and his driver were riding in a pickup van when they were shot and killed in front of a hospital in his city in Cavite province, according to a police report. The gunmen escaped.

A special team of investigators was formed to try to identify the killers and establish the motive for the attack in one of the bloodiest weeks for local officials. The series of killings has renewed calls for more effective gun control in a country long plagued by a surfeit of unlicensed firearms.

On Monday, Mayor Antonio Halili was shot in the heart and killed while singing the national anthem in a flag-raising ceremony in his city of Tanauan, south of the capital. The next day, Mayor Ferdinand Bote of northern General Tinio town was shot and killed in an SUV by motorcycle-riding assassins. The killers of both mayors remain at large.

Video taken by witnesses of the moments when Halili and Bote were killed have been widely viewed online and renewed fears of unabated lawlessness.

The back-to-back killings prompted an opposition senator to call the Philippines — where more than 4,000 mostly impoverished drug suspects have been killed under President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug crackdown — the "murder capital of Asia."

At least nine mayors have been killed under Duterte, who took office in June 2016, including four who have been linked by Duterte and authorities to illegal drugs. Halili had been included on a government list of suspected drug personalities, but he had vehemently denied any involvement.

An association of local officials has asked Duterte's administration to be allowed to vet the government's list of drug-linked officials and to be notified when suspects are added or removed from the list. Human rights watchdogs regard it as a "hit list," a charge denied by law enforcers.</s>FILE - In this July 4, 2018, file photo, Philippine National Police SWAT members check the site where Tanauan city Mayor Antonio Halili was killed during a flag-raising ceremony by an unidentified gunman at the Tanauan City Hall in Tanauan city, Batangas province south of Manila, Philippines. Van-riding assailants gunned down the vice mayor of a small Philippine city south of Manila on Saturday, July 7, 2018, police said, the third such brazen killing of a local official in the past week. less

FILE - In this July 4, 2018, file photo, Philippine National Police SWAT members check the site where Tanauan city Mayor Antonio Halili was killed during a flag-raising ceremony by an unidentified gunman at the ... more

FILE - In this July 4, 2018, file photo, Gina Halili, the widow of Tanauan city Mayor Antonio Halili, touches the face of her husband during its wake at their residence in Tanauan city, Batangas province south of Manila, Philippines. Van-riding assailants gunned down the vice mayor of a small Philippine city south of Manila on Saturday, July 7, 2018, police said, the third such brazen killing of a local official in the past week. less

FILE - In this July 4, 2018, file photo, Gina Halili, the widow of Tanauan city Mayor Antonio Halili, touches the face of her husband during its wake at their residence in Tanauan city, Batangas province south ... more

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Van-riding assailants gunned down the vice mayor of a small Philippine city south of Manila on Saturday, police said, the third such brazen killing of a local official in the past week.

Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan of Trece Martires city and his driver were riding in a pickup van when they were shot and killed in front of a hospital in his city in Cavite province, according to a police report. The gunmen escaped.

A special team of investigators was formed to try to identify the killers and establish the motive for the attack in one of the bloodiest weeks for local officials. The series of killings has renewed calls for more effective gun control in a country long plagued by a surfeit of unlicensed firearms.

On Monday, Mayor Antonio Halili was shot in the heart and killed while singing the national anthem in a flag-raising ceremony in his city of Tanauan, south of the capital. The next day, Mayor Ferdinand Bote of northern General Tinio town was shot and killed in an SUV by motorcycle-riding assassins. The killers of both mayors remain at large.

Video taken by witnesses of the moments when Halili and Bote were killed have been widely viewed online and renewed fears of unabated lawlessness.

The back-to-back killings prompted an opposition senator to call the Philippines — where more than 4,000 mostly impoverished drug suspects have been killed under President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug crackdown — the "murder capital of Asia."

At least nine mayors have been killed under Duterte, who took office in June 2016, including four who have been linked by Duterte and authorities to illegal drugs. Halili had been included on a government list of suspected drug personalities, but he had vehemently denied any involvement.

An association of local officials has asked Duterte's administration to be allowed to vet the government's list of drug-linked officials and to be notified when suspects are added or removed from the list. Human rights watchdogs regard it as a "hit list," a charge denied by law enforcers.
Alexander Lubigan, Vice Mayor of Trece Martires, Philippines, is assassinated in an ambush.