Misamis Occidental mayor slain in Cebu ambush
CEBU CITY – The mayor of Clarin town in Misamis Occidental was killed in a daring ambush by four masked men while he was being taken to the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office for inquest proceedings on charges of slight physical injury and acts of lasciviousness.
Mayor David Navarro was aboard a police vehicle – escorted by four policemen, including the chief of police in Clarin town – when a white van from the opposite direction blocked the path of the police vehicle at about 2:20 p.m. on Velez Street, Barangay Guadalupe, about 100 meters from the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.
The four masked men, all carrying long firearms, emerged from the white van and fired shots to ground. Before the police escorts could react, the four gunmen leveled their firearms at the lawmen before one of them
yanked Navarro out of the police vehicle and repeatedly shot him.
A Hyundai Starex van carrying the mayor’s relatives was also fired upon by the gunmen.
After the attack, the gunmen drove off with their white van, leaving the bloodied mayor slumped on the ground.
The chief of Clarin police, who was not immediately identified, and Corporal Eutemio Catalan, investigator of the Abellana Police Station in Cebu City, were wounded.
Two passengers of the Starex van were also wounded and were taken to the hospital.
It was learned that Navarro was included in the list of narco-politicians that President Duterte released in March, 2019.
The mayor’s sister Princess, who was also in the police vehicle but escaped unharmed, said her brother had tried his best to clear his name.
“He has implemented several anti-illegal drug programs in our town,” said Princess.
Police said Navarro was arrested at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on Thursday afternoon on charges of slight physical injury and acts of lasciviousness and was scheduled for inquest proceeding when the ambush took place.
His arrest took place a day after he allegedly assaulted a male massage parlor attendant and sexually harassed a female therapist.
The incident happened shortly before midnight last Wednesday at a massage parlor located inside a hotel on Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City.
Police said Navarro was drunk when he arrived at the massage parlor with three bodyguards.
The mayor allegedly wanted a female therapist to attend to him. He became rowdy when told that there was no masseuse available.
When Navarro confronted spa manager, John Dueñas – one of the male therapists – intervened and asked the mayor to calm down.
Navarro allegedly got irked and turned his anger on the 23-year-old Dueñas.
In a video footage captured by the spa’s closed-circuit television, Navarro was seen punching Dueñas in the abdomen before locking the victim’s arms behind his back.
A man pacified the mayor, who then freed Dueñas.
Later, the spa manager told the mayor that a female therapist will be sent to his hotel room.
The trouble didn’t end there. The 23-year-old masseuse complained that the mayor asked for sexual favor.
Soon after, the two spa workers filed a complaint before the Abellana Police Station.
Maj. Eduard Sanchez, chief of the Abellana police, went to the mayor’s room but the mayor declined to open the door of his room. He later asked the police if he could just settle matter in the morning.
But morning came and Navarro didn’t show up at the police station, prompting policemen to return to the hotel only to be informed that the mayor had already checked out.
Sanchez said they rushed to the airport in Lapu-Lapu City when they received a tip that the mayor was about to board a flight bound for Manila.
Navarro was eventually arrested at the boarding area of MCIA.
At the Abellana Police Station, Navarro said he was provoked by Dueñas.
“They insulted me. That’s all I can say now, I’ll wait for my lawyer,” Navarro, who was in Cebu City to attend a workshop for Mindanao mayors, told reporters Thursday afternoon.