Malabon village chief shot dead

MANILA, Philippines - A Malabon City barangay chairman, who is seeking a third and last term in office in the coming Oct. 25 local elections, was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding gunmen while walking out of a church early morning yesterday.

Superintendent Reynaldo Orante, Malabon City police acting chief, said that Maximo Bernardo, 56, chairman of Barangay Concepcion, died at the UST Hospital from a single gunshot wound in the head. “My men are still in the field investigating to establish the motive behind the killing of chairman Bernardo,” Orante told The STAR.

Orante said that Bernardo had just attended a morning Mass at a nearby church and was walking home at around 7:15 a.m. along Paez street in Barangay Concepcion when one of two gunmen riding in tandem on a motorcycle, who was apparently waiting for him, alighted and followed the barangay chairman from behind.

Armed with a .45 caliber pistol, the suspect shot Bernardo in the right side of his head. The bullet exited on the other side.

The suspects fled on their getaway motorcycle toward Burgos street. Bernardo was initially brought to the Pagamutang Bayan ng Malabon but was later transferred to the UST Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment, Orante said. 

Police Officer 3 Aloysius Bobis of the Northern Police District intelligence division said the area where Bernardo was waylaid has concrete fences on both sides “where a target has nowhere to go when cornered except to run forward or turn back.”

“The suspects killed their target with only a single bullet, mark of a professional killer,” Bobis said.

Orante said he is closely working with the NPD intelligence agents for the immediate arrest of the suspects and to determine whether the case has a connection with the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. – Pete Laude and Perseus Echeminada