Bacolod City village chief gunned down

BACOLOD CITY — Motorcycle-riding suspects shot and killed a village chair on Saturday here.

The village official, Nelson Ligaya Jr., died of multiple gunshot wounds while being treated at Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, according to police.

Ligaya, 48, was on his last term as chair of Barangay 16.

Chief Insp. Sherlock Gabana, spokesperson for the Bacolod City police office, on Sunday said four suspects, who were riding on two motorcycles, were involved in the killing of Ligaya.

Recovered from the scene were four bullet shells and three deformed slugs of a .45-caliber pistol.

Duterte rant

It was not clear whether Ligaya was the village official being referred to by President Rodrigo Duterte during a speech at the Masskara Festival last October.

During that speech, the President warned a village official allegedly involved in the drug trade in Bacolod City that his time was drawing near.

The President, however, did not identify the village official.

But Gabana on Sunday said Ligaya was not involved in the drug trade and police were looking at unsettled debts as a possible motive for his killing.

A special investigation task group was also organized by the Bacolod police to investigate the killing of Ligaya.