Marikina ambush: Lawmaker shot

MANILA, Philippines - A party-list lawmaker was ambushed as he was about to enter his house in Marikina City yesterday afternoon.

Police Officer 3 Edgar Pacleb said that at around 5:10 p.m., three men shot at Rep. Ranulfo Canonigo when he got out of his car, which his stepson was driving, in front of his house in Fairlane subdivision, Barangay Concepcion Uno. Doctors at the Saint Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) declared Canonigo in stable condition as of 7:30 last night.

Canonigo represents the Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong na Walang Sala (Kakusa) party-list group, which seeks to reform the penal system.

Police said Canonigo, 62, sustained gunshot wounds in the neck, back and thighs. His attackers escaped on two motorcycles. Pacleb said they recovered two .45 caliber slugs at the crime scene.

Pacleb said by the time the police officers arrived at the scene, Canonigo’s family had brought him to the St. Matthew’s Hospital for treatment. He was later transferred by Marikina’s emergency medical personnel to SLMC in Taguig City.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Alan Purisima said the Marikina police are interviewing witnesses to identify Canonigo’s attackers. He directed Chief Superintendent Francisco Manalo, Eastern Police District (EPD) director, to dig deeper into the case.

Manalo said an investigator is coordinating with the lawmaker’s family to get his statement on the attack.

Canonigo is on his second term as a congressman. Kakusa’s chairman emeritus is convicted child rapist and former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos.