IT WAS early Monday, a usual day for the government workers of Tanauan City, Batangas, when it happened.
During the flag ceremony in front of the City Hall, when everybody was singing “Lupang Hinirang,” a loud gunshot was heard. Mayor Antonio Halili then fell on the ground.
Everybody run for their lives.
Like a scene from the movies, a sniper, perhaps military-trained, went incognito in front of the City Hall.
Nobody knew who the gunman was.
The mayor was declared dead about an hour after he sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
Local police said the assailant used an M14 firearm – a sniper may have carried it out.
Investigators said they were visiting each high-rise building in the area where the gunman could have possibly positioned himself.
Police have yet to establish the motive of the assassination. A special investigation task group was formed to look into the murder.
Halili is known for his infamous "walk of shame," which requires crime suspects to walk along the city streets with a placard stating their offenses.
He was also stripped of police powers in November 2017 after he was allegedly linked to illegal drugs.
He was the ninth mayor killed in the Duterte administration. Among those killed were Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, and Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog.
Killing in cold blood is now the new normal.