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A mayor of the Philippines was shot dead by unidentified gunmen, who were the subject of allegations by President Rodrigo Duterte that he was involved in drug trafficking.
Mariano Blanco, 59, mayor of Ronda, Cebu, in the center of the country, was shot dead while sleeping in his office around 1:30 am local time on Wednesday. Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
Staff Sergeant Dionisio Tagupa of the Ronda police told the newspaper that four armed men stopped in front of the city hall in a white pickup truck, forcing two ground guards under the threat of firearm.
"After a second, a fire explosion was heard by the mayor's office and then the unidentified people left," Tagupa said. The employees then rushed to the mayor's office, where they found Blanco dead.
Chief Inspector Jayr Palcon told AFP that Blanco was on Duterte's list of politicians suspected of having links to drug trafficking. The agency said that this had been confirmed by a spokesman for the Philippine anti-drug agency.
Blanco would have taken precautions since Duterte publicly named him as a narco-politician in 2016, The applicant I said. Since taking office, the president of the strong man has waged a brutal war on drugs, which killed at least 12,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch.
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About 4,000 of these people were killed by the police. The service said all the dead were armed and had resisted arrest, but human rights groups said the agents were simply executing suspects. The other murders were perpetrated by "unidentified armed men". Duterte publicly encouraged vigilance against drug traffickers, telling citizens, "Do it yourself if you have – you have my support. how to adjust the scores with some questions asked.
In an interview with DWIZ radio station last year, Blanco said he feared for his life to have been linked to drug trafficking. "I'm afraid of being murdered. I just hope that they will understand that I have never been involved in illegal drugs, "said the mayor. "I am really shocked. I have been serving the city for 22 years now, and my name has never been staked until this problem has happened. "
Last year, the country's National Police Commission deprived Blanco of his power to supervise the Ronda police on the basis of his alleged links with gangs of drug traffickers. This meant he could no longer appoint the police chief of the city, inspect units or make decisions about the force.
At the time, police spokesman Risty Sibay said Duterte had received "intelligence reports" involving Blanco in the drug trade, and noted that only the president could restore his authority.
Blanco is the third mayor of the Philippines to be shot in three months. In July, Antonio Halili, the mayor of Tanauan, was killed by a sniper during a flag-raising ceremony. A few days later, Mayor Ferdinand Bote, of General Tinio's town, was killed by a gunman on a motorcycle, shot several times while driving his car through the town of Cabanatuan.
Just seven months ago, Blanco's nephew and deputy mayor, Jonnah John Ungab, was killed by unknown attackers in front of the Cebu courthouse, some 50 kilometers northeast of Ronda. The lawyer was acting as legal advisor to Kerin Espinosa.
According to CNN Philippines, at least 15 mayors and vice mayors have been murdered since Duterte came to power in 2016. Victims are on both sides of the war, involved in lawsuits or suspected of having been arrested. have links with narcotics gangs.
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