#people #killed #shooting #Philippine #university
Three people were killed in a rare shooting at a university in the Philippine capital of Manila on Sunday, officials said, in what appeared to be a targeted assassination attempt.
The incident happened at Ateneo de Manila University, when law students and their families attended a graduation ceremony that the Supreme Court Chief Justice was scheduled to attend.
Rose Furigay, a former mayor in troubled southern Basilan province whose daughter was among the graduates, was killed, authorities said.
Furigay’s assistant and a university guard were also killed.
Her daughter was injured and is in “stable condition” at the hospital, police said.
“We are quite disturbed and saddened by this incident,” Joy Belmonte, the mayor of a local government unit where the shooting took place, told AFP.
The suspected gunman fled the scene by forcing a driver out of his vehicle before abandoning it and continuing his escape in a jeepney, police said.
Eventually he was arrested near a church.
Police recovered two handguns and a silencer allegedly used by the suspect, whom they identified as Chao-Tiao Yumol, who said he had a “long history” of litigation with Furigay.
Yumol was out on bail for cyber defamation.
“This appears to be a determined assassin,” Police Brigadier General Remus Medina told reporters, describing the incident as “isolated.”
Yumol was presented to reporters by police with abrasions to his face.
He accused Furigay of being a “drug lord”.
– A political family –
School and university shootings are rare in the Philippines, despite lax gun laws. But targeted killings of politicians are fairly common, especially during elections.
Furigay, whose family dominates politics in Lamitan City, served three terms as mayor and was barred by the constitution from running for re-election in the May 9 election.
She was succeeded by her husband, who held the position before her – a common occurrence in the Philippines, where powerful clans passed positions from one family member to another to maintain their influence.
Ateneo de Manila University has canceled its graduation ceremony.
In a statement, the university condemned the shooting, saying it “robbed members of the law school Class of 2022 of what should be a joyful celebration.”
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was the guest speaker at the event, but he was still on his way to university when the shooting happened, a court spokesman said.
The incident came on the eve of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Union address, in which he is scheduled to present his plan to revive the economy and fight inflation.
Marcos Jr. expressed shock at the incident and said law enforcement would “investigate these murders thoroughly and expeditiously and bring everyone involved to justice.”
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