Manila - A Catholic priest known for his anti-mining advocacy
was shot dead on Sunday after celebrating Mass in the northern
Philippines, police said.
Father Mark Ventura was shot twice in a public gymnasium in the town
of Gattaran in Cagayan province, 396 kilometres north of Manila,
where the Mass was held.
Ventura, 37, was blessing children and chatting with choir members
after the Mass when the suspect shot him from behind, Gattaran police
chief Rodel Tabulog.
The shooter, who was wearing a helmet, fled on a motorcycle with
another suspect, Tabulog said.
"We are still investigating a motive for the killing," Tabulog told
Manila radio station DZMM, adding that the priest had a positive
reputation in the local community. None of the children or choir
members were hurt in the shooting, he said.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said
Ventura was the second priest to be killed in the country in four
months.
"A priest for almost seven years, he was also known for his
anti-mining advocacies and for helping indigenous peoples in the
province," a report on the CBCP website said.
In December, a 72-year-old priest was shot dead in the northern
province of Nueva Ecija after facilitating the release of a political
prisoner, the report added.
The Philippines is a predominantly Roman Catholic country, with more
than 80 per cent of some 100 million residents identifying as
Catholic.