Tuguegarao mayor hurt in shooting incident

(Updated 5:15 p.m.) SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela — An unidentified gunman shot Tuguegarao City Mayor Delfin Ting in front of his hotel Monday night, police said Tuesday. Senior Superintendent Mao Aplasca, Cagayan police provincial director, said the gunman shot the 72 year-old city mayor while the victim was standing near the entrance of Hotel Delfino, where he also resides, along the Tuguegarao's Bonifacio Street. Sketchy initial reports showed that Ting sustained a bullet wound in his nose bridge and was immediately rushed to Saint Paul’s Hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition as of posting time. On Tuesday afternoon, radio dzRH said Ting was brought to an undisclosed facility in Metro Manila for further treatment. A separate report from radio dzBB said Ting's relatives were the ones who requested that the local official be transferred to Metro Manila for "security reasons." In stable condition Cagayan Valley regional police director Chief Superintendent Francisco Villaroman also said Ting is now in stable condition. Police are still following leads on the motive of the assassination attempt but initial reports revealed that the mayor had previously reported to authorities of death threats he has been receiving from unknown sources via text messages sent to his mobile phone. They said the reported threats to the mayor's life indicated that it could be political in nature. Police scene of the crime operatives said the caliber of the gun used in the shooting has yet to be determined pending the retrieval of a slug which is still embedded on the victim’s left cheek. — Floro Taguinod/RSJ, GMANews.TV