Barangay chairman, wife killed in Batangas blast

A barangay chairman and his wife were killed in a car explosion on Friday evening in Laurel town in Batangas, a police official said Saturday.

Senior Insp. Dwight Fonte, spokesman for the Batangas police, said an explosive device was placed in Nestor Rodriguez's car and went off while the victims were on the vehicle.

Fonte also said the blast that killed Rodriguez and his wife occurred at about 11 p.m. in Barangay Gulod in Laurel town.

The two companions of the couple were injured in the incident.

Rodriguez is the incumbent chairman of Barangay Buso-Buso. He and his wife Eusebia died due to serious injuries, Fonte said, adding their companions, Jimmy and Maximo Sarmiento were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Citing initial information, Fonte said the victims were on their way home from Laurel town proper during the blast that ripped the vehicle's underside near the gearbox.

After the explosion, the vehicle moved backward and hit an object on the roadside before it flipped over.

Fonte said, an initial investigation showed the explosive device that was planted in the car appeared to be a grenade.

Police are investigating the incident and the motive behind the blast. — LBG, GMA News