Candidate for barangay chairman in North Cotabato shot dead
MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato (PNA) – Unidentified gunmen shot dead a candidate for barangay chairman while having lunch with companions shortly after he filed his Certificate of Candidacy at the Commission on Elections office here on Tuesday, August 29.
Haron Dimalanis, 40, of Barangay Malingao, was declared dead on arrival in a hospital.
Malingao is one of the 63 barangays in North Cotabato that are now part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) under the so-called Special Geographic Area.
Police Lt. Col. Peter Pinalgan Jr., Midsayap police chief, said the victim was having lunch in front of the municipal hall when suspected guns-for-hire opened fire at about 11:45 a.m.
The Comelec office is beside the town hall in Barangay Poblacion 3.
Wounded was Dimalanis’s companion, identified as Habir Kambiong, 27.
The two gunmen, in bull caps and bonnets, fled onboard a motorbike.
Police investigators found eight empty shells for .45 caliber pistols at the scene.
Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan condemned the attack and ordered the local police to go after the perpetrators.
“I have also ordered stricter measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” he said.