A town mayor in the Philippines and two bodyguards were killed Monday by suspected communist rebels, dpa cited the military and police as saying. Carlito Pentecostes Jr, mayor of Gonzaga town in Cagayan province, 420 kilometres north of Manila, was shot dead during a flag-raising ceremony at the municipal hall, 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.
