Village chair in Maguindanao del Sur slain in IED attack
DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao del Norte (PNA) – A powerful improvised bomb went off Wednesday morning, August 16, in Shariff Saydona town, Maguindanao del Sur, leaving a barangay chairman dead and a barangay councilor and civilian seriously injured.
Brig. Gen. Oriel Pangcog, Army 601st Infantry Brigade commander, identified the fatality as Jun Manot Silongan of Barangay Penditen, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao del Sur.
Silongan is the younger brother of Datu Salibo Councilor Desmon Silongan, who was killed on April 17 this year while alighting from his car in front of the Datu Salibo Sangguniang Bayan session hall.
Also injured in the 8:45 a.m. blast were Barangay Penditen Councilor Salik Datua and a still unidentified civilian who were both with Jun Silongan.
They were taken to a hospital in Midsayap, North Cotabato for treatment.
Rico Torino, Datu Salibo municipal information officer, said Silongan and his party visited the Barangay Ganta hall on Wednesday morning.
They were leaving the barangay hall premises when a bomb exploded, killing Silongan instantly due to shrapnel injuries in the head and body.
Police and military bomb experts were still at the blast site conducting a post-blast investigation as of posting time.