Ilocos town vice mayor shot, fires back and kills attacker

ADAMS, Ilocos Norte — Adams Vice Mayor Eric Bawingan was shot in front of his house on Tuesday night (July 5) , but he was able to fire back and kill his attacker, police said.

Bawingan and his family were at the kitchen watching television when the gunman, Adams resident Jun Valencia, barged in and shot the vice mayor in the chest.

Although injured, Bawingan was able to shoot back at Valencia, killing him on the spot, said Senior Insp. Samson Amistad, Adams police chief.

Bawingan was rushed to the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City for treatment.

Investigators have yet to determine what triggered the attack, but police said the slain gunman was implicated in the October 2010 killing of Adams municipal treasurer Elpidio Sy.

Sy was riding with a companion on a motorcycle to Adams when they were waylaid by a gunman.

The companion survived the attack and had named Valencia as their attacker, but the police were initially unconvinced because of inconsistencies in his testimony. Valencia had been in hiding, until he surfaced and attempted to kill the vice mayor, according to the police.

Bawingan served Adams town as a three-term mayor before he was elected in May as the new vice mayor. SFM/CDG