Cagayan town mayor killed in ambush; gunmen evade arrest

At least two unidentified gunmen shot dead a town mayor in Cagayan province north of Manila just as he was stepping out of his residential compound in Centro East district in Allacapan town Saturday night. Police remained puzzled over the motive behind the murder of Allacapan Mayor Nathaniel Onia, who died on the spot after the ambush, which occurred at about 7:30 p.m. "Witnesses said they saw the men on board a motorcycle, waiting for the mayor near his compound. When he came out, they shot him," dzRH radio quoted Cagayan provincial police director Sr. Supt. James Melad as saying Sunday. Melad, however, said that while the witnesses said the men did not appear to be from the locality, they never suspected the suspects were staging an ambush. Onia was rushed to a medical facility in neighboring Aparri in Cagayan but it was too late for doctors to save him. Citing initial investigation reports, Melad said the police are looking into "political and personal" angles but would not elaborate. Onia is an engineer by profession. Onia ran for mayor in 2004 under the banner of the Lakas-Christian Muslims Democrat (Lakas-CMD). President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is the honorary chairperson of Lakas-CMD. Onia's rival Milagros Florida ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) chaired by businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr, a close associate of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. But Melad said it was unlikely Florida that ordered the killing as she was known to be a "peaceful" person. Now chairman of the food-beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC), Cojuangco has been accused of illegally acquiring SMC shares using coconut levy funds that the Marcos government had collected from coconut farmers. Most of his NPC partymates in the House of Representatives are aligned with the pro-administration majority. Allacapan is a fourth-class municipality in Cagayan. The 2000 census showed it has a population of at least 26,960 people. Onia’s wife Leonila, a pharmacist, was the town’s previous mayor. Onia, a native of Bani in Pangasinan left behind three children, Nath Brayan, Nath Ian, and Nathaniel Jr. - GMANews.TV