MANILA — Armed men in military gear attacked a provincial governor in the central Philippines on Saturday, killing him and several other people, according to the police. Hours later, three were arrested in connection with the case.
The motive for the killing, the latest in a series of deadly attacks on political leaders, was not immediately clear. Initial police reports said that the governor, Roel Degamo, had been at home in the town of Pamplona, in the province of Negros Oriental, when the attack took place.
At least five other people present were also killed. They were described as citizens who had been meeting with Mr. Degamo to seek aid from the governor’s welfare program.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling for a speedy investigation, vowed that the killers would be caught.
“My government will not rest until we have brought the perpetrators of this dastardly and heinous crime to justice,” Mr. Marcos said in a statement. “I am warning all those involved in this killing: You can run, but you cannot hide.”
Hours later, the police said that three men had been arrested in connection with the crime. They were all aged 40 to 50; two were described as former soldiers. The police also reported seizing a .45-caliber pistol and ammunition.
A police statement issued before the arrests had said that the perpetrators wore camouflage uniforms and bulletproof vests and carried long guns to carry out their “treacherous attack.”
Mr. Degamo, 56, came from a political family and was allied with Mr. Marcos. Mr. Degamo initially lost his election last May but successfully challenged the results. His disqualified rival, Pryde Henry Teves, served as governor briefly but stepped aside for Mr. Degamo.
The vice president, Sara Duterte, expressed her condolences for a “political ally” and “dear friend” in a post on Mr. Degamo’s Facebook page. Her post also alluded to unrest in the province, saying, “Authorities must start looking at the political feud that has gripped Negros Oriental and has taken so many lives, not just of Gov. Degamo.”
Violence related to political rivalries is common in the Philippines, where politicians are known to employ private armies. In last year’s general election, the police said they had identified 150 “private armed groups” and had fanned out across the country in an effort to disband them.
Many of these private armies operate in areas far from the capital, Manila, in places where power is determined by political clans, officials have said.
Last month, in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Sur, four police officers were killed and three others, including the province’s governor, Mamintal Adiong, were injured in a roadside ambush.
In another attack also last month, gunmen disguised as police officers waylaid a van carrying Rommel Alameda, the vice mayor of Aparri, a town in the north, killing him and five companions.
Source : Nytimes
