Midsayap, North Cotabato - A village councilman and a watchman were fatally shot in an attack in Midsayap, North Cotabato, believed to be related to a clan war.
According to Philippines News Agency, Lt. Col. John Miridel Calinga, the police chief of Midsayap town, identified the victims as Tho Puyo Singh, 73, a village council member of Barangay Kudarangan, and Bayao Mohammad Uka, 58, a member of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team. The incident occurred at 1 a.m. on Thursday, with the victims' houses being sprayed with bullets. Barangay Kudarangan, part of the 63 villages in North Cotabato that joined the expanded Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has witnessed a long-standing 'rido' or family feud between the families of Singh and Sukarno Madidis, both members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). In a separate incident in Banisilan town, a school teacher and her husband were ambushed and killed. Maj. Elexon Bona, Banisilan municipal police station chief, identified the victims as Angelie Cañete Romanguera, 43, a teacher at Pantar Elementary School, and her husband, Juanito Romanguera, 56, a tricycle driver. The police are still conducting a manhunt for the suspects. Romelito Flores, the North Cotabato schools’ division superintendent, condemned the attack and called for a thorough investigation and justice for the victims.