Batangas map. INQUIRER FILES
LUCENA CITY — A motorcycle-riding gunman shot and killed on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5, in Taal town in Batangas province an incumbent village chief, who was seeking another term in the upcoming local elections in October.
Major Fernando Fernando, Taal police chief, in his report, identified the victim as Erasmo Hernandez, 59, the chief of Barangay Poblacion Zone 10.
The police said Hernandez was standing in front of the barangay office when two unidentified armed men arrived aboard a motorcycle and repeatedly shot him around 7:20 a.m.
The assailants sped off after the shooting.
Hernandez was taken to the Lemery Doctors Hospital in neighboring Lemery town, but died while undergoing treatment.
“We’re still conducting thorough investigation to determine if the killing was election-related,” Fernando said in a phone interview.
An investigation is ongoing to establish the motive behind the incident, he added.
Police launched a manhunt operation to arrest the assailants.
On Monday, the Philippine National Police reported that it had monitored seven suspected election-related incidents of violence after the start of the filing of the certificate of candidacy period for the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
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