Lanao del Norte village chief shot dead

MANILA, Philippines — A barangay chairman in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte was killed in a gun attack on Sunday.

Rudi Bitangcor, 54, was playing cards outside his house in Barangay Mahayahay at around  midnight when the assailant arrived and shot the village chief several times, according to a police report.

Probers have yet to determine the identity of the gunman and the motive for the killing.

In Rizal, John Albert Padasay and Francis Labuta were in a vacant house when an unidentified man arrived and opened fire.

A third victim tried to escape, but the assailant chased and shot him. A certain Evangeline de Jesus was hit by a stray bullet. The two remain confined in a hospital.

Probers said the motive could be drug-related, noting that Padasay was previously arrested in a sting. – Ed Amoroso