LAOAG CITY: The president of the Association of Barangay Captains of San Nicolas town was fatally shot early Saturday by unidentified assailants in Barangay 22 San Guillermo, as reported to the Ilocos Norte police.
According to Philippines News Agency, Mark Adrian Barba, 39, the village chief of Barangay 6 San Juan Bautista, was traveling in a gray Toyota Innova with two other individuals when they were ambushed at approximately 3 a.m. The attack occurred along the national highway as the group was returning home from a nearby cockpit arena. Barba succumbed to his injuries after being taken to a nearby hospital, while his companions remain in critical condition.
Police responding to the scene recovered multiple empty shells of an M-16 Armalite rifle. Investigators are currently working to identify the attackers and determine the motive behind the killing.