MANILA, Philippines – Riding-in-tandem gunmen ambushed a former Zamboanga del Sur town mayor in Bacolod town, Lanao del Norte, on Wednesday morning, March 20.

According to the police report, former Dumingag town mayor Naciancino Pacalioga Jr, 57, was “shot by unidentified suspect/s” at around 8:30 am on Wednesday, when he stopped to urinate in a “grassy area” on the side of the highway in Barangay Esperanza in Bacolod town, Lanao del Norte.

Cops said Pacalioga sustained gunshot wounds in “different parts of the body” but remained conscious after the attack. He was rushed to the Adventist Medical Center in San Miguel, Iligan City.

In a phone interview with Rappler, Dumingag police chief Senior Inspector Arnold Tolentino said the former mayor underwent an operation.

Tolentino also said that based on initial information, the suspects transferred to a Toyota Hilux after shooting Pacalioga.

Lanao del Norte cops were in pursuit of the suspects. – Rappler.com