Surigao del Sur mayor safe after gun attack
TANDAG, SURIGAO DEL SUR—Barobo, Surigao del Sur Mayor Ronito Martizano, 60, survived an ambush at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, police said.
Police Maj. Alexis Avenido, acting Barobo police chief, said the incident occurred in Barangay Causwagan as the mayor was leaving Sitio Panaraga in Barangay Gamut.
A car reportedly blocked their path, and gunmen opened fire on Martizano’s van. Avenido added that the suspects immediately fled toward San Francisco, Agusan del Sur.
An aide of Martizano told a local radio station in San Francisco that the mayor is safe and is being treated at a local hospital.
Avenido has ordered a pursuit operation for the suspects and a thorough investigation into the possible motives of the attack.
The assassination attempt came barely a week after Martizano ordered the dismantling of equipment used in illegal tunnel mining operations allegedly run by Chinese financiers.
