Catholic priest hurt in Laguna gun attack

SAN PEDRO CITY – A former chief of chaplains in the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City was wounded after a gunman shot him in Calamba City on Wednesday morning.

Rev. Rey Urmeneta, 64, a priest at the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Calamba City, was aboard his car with his secretary Remedios de Belen, on their way to a church meeting when an unidentified gunman approached his car in Barangay 3 at 9:40 a.m. and shot him twice, according to Supt. Rossel Cejas, Calamba police chief.

Urmeneta was the retired chaplain of the regional police in Calabarzon.

Urmeneta suffered bullet wounds in his left arm and back and was brought to the Calamba Medical Center, Cejas said in an interview.

“He is now stable and I was already able to talk to him,” Cejas said.

Investigation was ongoing to determine the motive in the attack. But Urmeneta told police it may have something to do with the people who owed him his personal money, Cejas said.

In April, another Catholic priest also fell victim to a gun attack. Priest Mark Ventura from Gattaran, Cagayan was gunned down shortly after celebrating the Sunday mass. with reports from Jhoanna Ballaran, INQUIRER.net