then we had a reporter/human rights activist/businessman killed. Again no news why. Again, helping the poor and spilling the beans is suspected (spilling the beans on corruption is usually why reporters are killed here)
Now a mayor was killed in a professional hit.
that means someone who had a military style rifle and knew how to use it, not a criminal on a motorcycle with a hand gun, which is the usual way to kill people you don't like.
Rumors say in the past he was involved with the drug trade, but in recent years has become an anti drug warrior, publically shaming drug suspects.
But our cook, who knows all the local rumors, said the hit was "politics". That usually means someone wants his job so they can get rich off of kickbacks and bribes.
and political murders are alas not uncommon in our area, which resembled the wild west during election season.
here is a 2016 article from the Manila Times with a list of five political murders during that year elections:
Nueva Ecija has been known as the “Wild Wild West” of Central Luzon owing to election related violence in the past 50 years. Police said while violence rarely occurred before the elections, a series of crime incidents, believed to be politically motivated, occurred after the May 9 polls.
Our mayor has been threatened in the past by the clan of the ex mayor's family, who has ordered at least two hits on his family/clan.
Hopefully he will remain safe, since he seems to be cleaning up the place and putting in much needed sewers with the city money, and business is thriving.
Since our family is on the periphery of our mayor's circle (our nephew was killed in the first hit job as a bystander), I suspect Lolo would tell me to watch out when I go shopping. On the other hand, the carnap/kidnap gangs are being discouraged so I am safer that way.
Alas, our main watchdog is still sick (probably a stroke) so either we will have to get a gun and learn to use it, or we will have to buy a bigger dog..
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