La Union town mayor, along with driver and cop, killed in ambush

Published @ 10:49 p.m., Oct. 1, 2018 | Updated @ 11:43 p.m., Oct. 2, 2018

Mayor Alexander Buquing of Sudipen town in La Union died after being shot on Monday while traveling in Bangar town with his wife, Vice Mayor Wendy Joy Buquing, who was wounded

The couple’s driver, Boni Depdepen, and security officer, PO2 Rolando Juanbe. also died in the incident.

According to the Bangar Municipal Police Station, the group was in a vehicle traveling along Bangar Castro Provincial Road in Barangay Cadapli when unknown assailants shot at them at around 6:40 p.m.

The 50-year-old mayor and the police officer were taken to the Ilocos Sur District Hospital in Tagudin, where they were declared dead on arrival.

The vice mayor and the driver were taken to Lorma Medical Center in San Fernando City, where the driver was declared dead on arrival.

A task force was formed to investigate the case.

The task force, according to its spokesman, Chief Insp. Silverio Ordinado, was looking into Buquing’s political background to determine who ordered the attack, the second involving La Union local executives this year.

Previous killing

On May 12, former La Union Rep. Eufranio Eriguel was shot and killed in an attack by nine armed men on a youth council assembly in Agoo town.

The attack also killed Eriguel’s aides, Bobby Ordinario and Mac Roel Tuvera. A fourth victim, Patrick Manabat, died while being treated at a hospital.

Police have arrested an accomplice but have yet to nab the mastermind.

“We have not established the motive [of the killing of Buquing] although we are not discounting the possibility that it’s politics because it [took place] two weeks before the filing of certificates of candidacy,” Ordinado told the Inquirer by telephone.

The mayor’s business transactions were also being looked into, he said, adding that Buquing was a soft drinks distributor in northern La Union, among other things.

The Buquing couple was headed home to Barangay Castro after attending the necrological services for the municipal engineer at the town center.

Gunmen were apparently waiting at an area where the mayor’s vehicle would turn toward Castro. /pdi /atm