Cops clueless on slay try on Bulacan councilor

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines  â€“ Police are still clueless on the slay attempt on former beauty queen and third-term Hagonoy, Bulacan councilor Francis Dianne Cervantes on Tuesday night.

Cervantes was on her way to her family’s residence in Paombong town on board a motorcycle driven by a friend when she was shot.

Cervantes is now recovering at a hospital in Manila after undergoing surgery on Wednesday.

Police earlier said there were two assailants, but Senior Superintendent Joel Orduna, Bulacan police director, citing the account of Cervantes’ companion, said there was only one.

Police were still trying to determine the escape route of the motorcycle-riding gunman. They noted that the attack happened between two villages where a road upgrading project was ongoing, thus there was traffic congestion in the area.

The attacker is suspected though to have escaped through the Abulalas-Iba Road that leads to Calumpit town or to this city.

Based on their evaluation, Orduna said Cervantes’ assailant could be an amateur. 

“Our investigation is still ongoing, but based on our assessment, the gunman is not a professional killer,” he said.

Orduna noted that the gunman aimed at the head and upper part of the body of Cervantes with intent to kill her, but failed.

Superintendent Gerardo Andaya, Hagonoy police chief, earlier gave this same assessment, saying the gunman even fired at Cervantes while lying on the road, as evidenced by the slugs recovered at the scene.

However, Orduna said investigators were not discounting the fact that the place was dark when the attack took place.

He said police were still trying to determine the motive behind the attempt on Cervantes’ life, adding though that it could be related to her work as councilor.

A former Miss Earth Philippines-Fire titlist in 2006, Cervantes was first elected in 2007 and is now serving her third term.