Hanoi (VNA) – Mayor of Batangas province’s Tanauan city Antonio Cando Haliliwas shot dead on July 2 while attending a weekly flag raising ceremony forgovernment officials.
Local police said that he was dead on arrival at hospital from a single bulletwound to the chest, sustained as he and civil servants sang the national anthemin the city.
Investigation is underway.
Halili gained prominence after he organised a parade of alleged drug dealersthrough his city.
According to the Philippine police, more than 4,200 suspected drug dealers werekilled during a fight against drugs launched by President Rodrigo Duterte in2016.
In October, 2017, Halili was stripped of his supervisory powers over localpolice due to a proliferation of illegal drugs in his city, amid allegations bythe national police that he may have been involved.
He denied all allegations and said that he backed Duterte’s campaign butbelieved drug kingpins should be the main targets.-VNA