Cagayan mayor, 3 aides killed, 4 hurt in ambush

TUGUEGARAO CITY – The mayor of a remote Cagayan town and three of his aides were killed while four others were wounded in an ambush along a provincial road in Solana town late Wednesday night, police said.

Rizal Mayor Raul de la Cruz and his aides were on board a municipal government-owned coaster when some 20 men armed with various types of firearms, including an M203 grenade launcher, waylaid them.

De la Cruz was rushed to the St. Paul Hospital here but was declared dead on arrival due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, Cagayan Valley police director, identified De la Cruz’s aides killed in the attack as Ramon Gundan, Federico Canay, and John Baluran, the coaster’s driver.

Wounded were Nilo Patay, Alan de la Cruz, Victor Baluran and Aurelio Cauilan, who are now tightly guarded in the hospital.

The mayor and his aides had come from a medical mission in Rizal town and were en route to Manila to attend a Christmas party when they were waylaid along the Tuguegarao-Piat Highway in Solana town at around 10 p.m. Wednesday.

“Three police escorts had been assigned to him to ensure his safety, but unfortunately he left (them) in Rizal to attend a Christmas party in Manila,” Damian said, adding that he earlier had warned the mayor of a threat to his life.

The STAR learned that De la Cruz and his aides were able to exchange gunfire for about 20 minutes with their attackers, who then fled thinking they had finished off their victims.

Besides political or personal motives, probers were looking into the possible involvement of the New People’s Army in the ambush, Damian said.

“We are looking into all possible angles and those personalities responsible behind the killing,” he said. 

Damian said they have provided De la Cruz’s family with protection following the attack.

Damian told The STAR that he met with De la Cruz last Monday and warned him about a death threat against him.

“We talked for over one and a half hours. I even told him to coordinate with Cagayan police director Senior Superintendent Moro Lazo to arrange his security,” he said.

“I even asked him if there was something I could do to augment his security and (he told me), ‘OK na OK ako, sir, I can manage.’ I reminded him to be careful several times; I don’t know how many times,” he added.  

Damian said he and De la Cruz agreed to meet again on Jan. 9 during the Rizal town fiesta.

Last month, a grand rally for peace was held in this city to call for an end to all political and ideology-related violence in the province, in line with President Arroyo’s earlier call during a region-wide peace and security summit here.    – With Cecille Suerte Felipe