Kalinga mayor shot, wounded after running over a dog

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—A town mayor in Kalinga province survived a gun attack on Saturday night after his vehicle ran over a dog on his way to Tabuk City, reports from the Cordillera regional police office said on Sunday.

Pasil Mayor James Edduba was shot by a lone gunman at 7:30 p.m. in Sitio Pinagan, Lucog village, when he and some of his companions alighted from a pick-up truck to check on a dog that their vehicle had accidentally hit, said Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez, Cordillera police director.

Witnesses identified the suspect as Kitkiti Suyam, who fired at the mayor and his party from the roadside. Investigators, however, have not determined whether Suyam owned the dog.

Edduba had bullet wounds in the arm and abdomen and was taken to  Kalinga Provincial Hospital in Tabuk City. He was later transferred to  Saint Paul Hospital in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province. On Sunday, Nerez said their reports indicated that Edduba was in a stable condition.

Police have launched a manhunt for Suyam. Residents in Sitio Pinagan said Suyam might have been drunk when he shot the mayor, police said.

Nerez said the police would also reach out to families in the area to seek their help in maintaining peace there. Many villages in Kalinga are bound by an indigenous peace pact called “bodong.”

Pasil is a fifth-class farming town (with P15 million to P25 million in average annual income) located west of Tabuk City. It hosts Batong Buhay Gold Mines, which is administered by the government. Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon