Slain Clarin Mayor David Navarro received death threats before ambush — police
MANILA, Philippines — Clarin, Misamis Occidental Mayor David Navarro received death threats before he was ambushed while in police custody and killed Friday, police said Saturday.
Gunmen stopped a police van that was taking Navarro to the state prosecutor's office in the central city of Cebu and shot him dead, authorities said.
City police had arrested Navarro, who was visiting on official business, late Thursday after he allegedly assaulted a masseur.
Speaking to reporters, P/Col. Gemma Vinluan of Cebu City police said that prior to the assassination, Navarro had told investigators that he received death threats while he was in Misamis.
Vinluan declined to disclose the names of individuals who allegedly threatened Navarro as authorities gather more evidence.
“So kung sino yon 'di muna natin sasabihin dahil hindi enough yung statement na yon unless executed sa affidavit or else magiging ano yun harassment on the part kung ibigay mo ang information na wala kang strong evidence,” she said.
(Whoever sent those death threats — that we cannot disclose yet because a statement is not enough unless it is executed in an affidavit. It would be a form of harassment if we give the information without strong evidence.)
“So we will just use those information for our intel gathering,” she added.
Following the attack, in which one of Navarro's police escorts was also injured, the gunmen escaped, police said.
Local television footage showed two women named by the station as the politician's siblings crying and hugging a bloodied body sprawled on the road beside a police van.
On March 14, ahead of May elections, Navarro's name had turned up in a list of 44 mostly local officials put out by President Rodrigo Duterte, who accused them of being "involved in the deadly game of drug trafficking".
Duterte had also released a longer list in 2016 of more than 150 judges, mayors and other local officials allegedly linked to drugs. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral with News5 and AFP
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