Samar town Mayor shot dead

By RAY P. GASPAY
January 25, 2007 (9:42 am)

CATBALOGAN, Samar  –  The town mayor of Daram, an island town in Samar southwest of Catbalogan, was shot dead by still unidentified assassin early this morning in Brgy. Birawan, Daram, Samar while attending a benefit dance for the village fiesta.

Initial police report identified the victim as a certain Benito Astorga y Bucatcat, married, of legal age, mayor of Daram town this province, while attending a benefit dance at about 2:00 o’clock in the morning of Thursday, January 25, 2007.  The victim sustained five gunshot wounds from a caliber .45 pistol which caused the instantaneous death of the victim when brought to the St. Pauls Hospital in Tacloban City.

Police authorities recovered five empty shells from a .45 caliber pistol in the crime scene and the case is now under investigation.

As of press time, a police team headed by Samar Police Director PSSupt. Asdali Idja Abah is on its way to Daram to conduct a thorough investigation.