Ex-ABC president, village official killed in Negros Occidental ambush

MANILA, Philippines — Former Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) President Mark Garcia and village councilor Michael Garcia were killed in an ambush Thursday while on the campaign trail in Negros Occidental.

Initial report from the Negros Occidental police indicated 30 armed men might have carried out the attack while the Garcias were campaigning for incumbent Moises Padilla Vice Mayor Ella Garcia Yulo around 11 a.m. in Barangay Inolingan.

Mark and Michael were accordingly the brother and nephew of the municipal vice mayor, who was not hit during the ambush, police said.

In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Western Visayas police director Brigadier General John Bulalacao said the investigation is still ongoing to identify the gunmen and the group behind the crime as well as the motive behind the attack.

Garcia-Yulo is running for mayor in the municipality of Moises Padilla. She is up against her uncle, incumbent Mayor Magdaleno Peña.

The Commission on Elections has placed Moises Padilla under “Category Red” of so-called election hotspots in the country, meaning it is among areas with a history of election-related violence, intense political rivalry, and a threat from terrorist groups. /kga