A mayor in the Philippines and his two bodyguards have been killed by suspected communist rebels.
Carlito Pentecostes Jr, mayor of Gonzaga town in Cagayan province, 420km north of Manila, was shot dead during a flag-raising ceremony at the municipal hall on Monday, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Gregorio Lim.
"After the national anthem, the mayor was about to give a speech when two men came up to him and shot him," Lim said.
Two of the mayor's bodyguards were also killed in the attack, said Major Emmanuel Garcia, an army commander.
"A firefight ensued with the police but the armed men withdrew and commandeered a police car to escape," he said.
Police said the killing was suspected to be related to allegations that Pentecostes was abetting the illegal mining in the town of black or magnetite sand, used in steel manufacture.
The rebels oppose the mining.
