Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino and two of his bodyguards were killed in an ambush Monday, March 8.
The victims were on board a white van on Laboyao Bridge in Barangay Lonoy, Calbayog heading north when they were fired at by gunmen riding two cars at 5:30 p.m.
Aquino's three bodyguards retaliated, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
The mayor and two of his security personnel died on the spot site while one bodyguard was brought by some residents to a nearby hospital.
One of the suspects also died, a sketchy police report said.
“Probers of Calbayog police station are now conducting an on-site investigation to determine the motive of the said incident,” the initial report sent to the local media by the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office here said.
Meanwhile, Police Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana, PNP spokesperson, in a statement, said PNP chief Police Gen. Debold Sinas has directed Police Regional Office 8 director Police Brig. Gen. Ronaldo de Jesus to conduct a thorough investigation.
He said they would keep the public informed as soon as more details are gathered regarding the attack.
Aquino, who was on his third and last term as the city's chief executive, served as mayor since 2011 after then Mayor Reynaldo Uy was killed in a fiesta celebration in Hinabangan, Samar.
Calbayog City had witnessed a series of shooting incidents that targeted local government officials.
On Oct. 8, 2020, former City Councilor Jessie Jackson was shot dead in broad daylight while driving a motorcycle along the major highway.
The city, a commercial hub in the northwest part of Samar province, is about 172 kilometers north of Tacloban, the regional capital.