Machine gun fire kills Isabela mayor in Quezon City ambush

Men brandishing submachine guns killed a municipal mayor of Isabela province in an ambush at a residential-commercial district in Quezon City late Tuesday evening. Ilagan town Mayor Delfinito Albano was driving alone in his Isuzu trooper at the corner of Scout Santiago and Dr. Lazcano Streets in Quezon City, at around 11 p.m. when an undetermined number of suspects on board a Toyota Revo (XJN-532) blocked his way and opened fire. Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said Albano "suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot." Quoting initial reports in a phone interview, Radovan said, "We're also trying to determine if the vehicle is carnapped so we can speed up the pursuit operations against the suspects." Investigation showed that Albano had just come from a visit to his mother's home in Greenhills, San Juan, when the ambush was mounted. Albano was without his bodyguards when the gunmen attacked using high-powered Heckler und Koch (HK) MP5 submachineguns, the police said. "He was driving alone when he was blocked. Then three persons inside the Toyota Revo [that blocked his path] started firing at him," said Radovan. Albano was aboard his gray Isuzu Trooper (plate XJA-359) when the attackers' Revo blocked his path near the corner of Scout Santiago and Dr. Lazcano Streets, near an area that hosts a strip of restaurants. Albano ran inside the Villa Estela restaurant when the three men, one of whom was armed with an HK MP-5 submachinegun, started firing. At least one suspect reportedly reloaded his HK-MP5 firearm before chasing Albano into the restaurant. The mayor ran between two gazebos but the gunman followed and opened fire. Albano sustained at least 11 gunshot wounds in the nape and body. Police later found an HK-MP5 magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition near the scene. Quezon City policemen are now speaking with restaurant employees to get more information about the attack. One restaurant worker described the triggerman as "tall" and wore a ski mask. Another employee, Judy Jalangan, said: "We just heard shots and we all hid. There were so many shots, like from an automatic weapon." Meanwhile, the police said they were able to tracing a cellphone number, but refused to give details about how it was linked to the crime. "We recovered a cellphone number and we are trying to trace it. That's all I can say for now," Radovan said. Albano was then driving home from a vist to his mother, a neighbor of former President Joseph Estrada at the posh North Greenhills Subdivision in San Juan.-- GMANews.TV