A DAY after Tanauan City, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili was assassinated, another local chief executive was gunned down.
Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio town, Nueva Ecija was shot dead Tuesday, July 3.
He came from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) office in Cabanatuan City when he was assassinated.
Local police said the killing was perpetrated by unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants.
A closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the NIA office showed that the mayor's vehicle had stopped just in front of the government agency's gate when two men in black approached their vehicle and gunned the victim down.
The mayor was rushed to the nearest hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Bote was the second mayor assassinated in less than 48 hours, the 10th in the Duterte administration.
The motive of the two incidents has yet to be established by the authorities.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the executive department was also alarmed by the spate of killings in the country.
He assured the families of the murder victims that justice would prevail.
The culture of impunity in the country continues. Again, killing is just a new normal.
The series of killings against the local chief executives, let alone it happen in less than 48 hours, is very alarming.
Hope justice will be served to their respective families, constituents, and community.