Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 19) — An incumbent councilor in the town of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte was shot dead Wednesday morning as he was driving a jeepney filled with students.

Sangguniang Bayan Member Cicero "Don" Gurrea was on his way to the Sindangan National High School when he was shot dead in Barangay Piao around 5:50 a.m., police said.

The councilor was pronounced dead on arrival at the Sindangan District Hospital with three gunshot wounds on his chest. Authorities are pursuing two gunmen riding-in-tandem who fled the area, as Gurrea's family, friends and constituents cry for justice.

Gurrea, 59, was reelected as Sindangan councilor for a second term and even topped the May 13 local elections. He is popular for offering free rides to students going to school, and was also a well-known painter in their town.

Journalist Lyza Merille Bautista contributed to this report.