MENDOZA speaking to displaced residents in Matalam, Cotabato. (Provincial Government of Cotabato photo)
DAVAO CITY – Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza on Monday, Aug. 3, condemned the series of violence in the province, including the killing of a barangay chairman in her hometown of Carmen on Sunday.
The governor urged law enforcement agencies to investigate and hunt suspects in violent incidents that pose a big threat to peace and order in the province.
She said the provincial government won’t let these incidents pass.
Gunmen ambushed Barangay Cadiis Chairman Arnel Aliudin while on board onboard a vehicle in Barangay Kibudtungan, Carmen. Aliudin was declared dead in a hospital. Two companions were injured.
On July 28, a resident was killed and two others were wounded in an encounter between warring clans due to land conflict in Barangay Estado, Matalam.
The firefight displaced at least 100 residents, who sought refuge in the village center while others evacuated in Barangay San Roque in neighboring Kidapawan City.
This long-standing conflict remains unresolved despite series of dialogues and other interventions.
Mendoza expressed alarm over an alleged assault against a student in Kidapawan City.
She urged the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and concerned local government units to investigate these incidents.
She asked the people to help authorities by providing relevant information and stop spreading fake news.