Google map of Polomolok town, South Cotabato.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY --A former ex-officio provincial board member of South Cotabato province who was tagged by police as a “narco-politician” was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a village in Polomolok town at past noon Thursday.
Lt. Col. Lino Capellan, public information officer of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-12, said Vicente Yungco Jr., 47, was driving his white Isuzu Crosswind along Dahlia Street in Barangay Poblacion when he was waylaid by two motorcycle-riding suspects around 1 p.m.
Capellan said Yungco, who was an incumbent councilor of Barangay Poblacion, came from his house in Purok Malinawon and was with his wife and youngest son when the shooting happened.
Yungco bore multiple gunshot wounds on the head and body, and was declared dead upon arrival in a nearby hospital.
The victim’s wife and son, who were not named for security reasons, were unharmed.
“The investigation is ongoing and operating units have been dispatched to track down the suspects,” Capellan said.
Yungco served as barangay chair of Poblacion for two terms and was elected president of the Liga ng mga Barangay of Polomolok and South Cotabato province.
He represented the barangay councils in the South Cotabato provincial board until June last year.
Yungco lost his bid for a seat in the municipal council under the PDP-Laban slate in the last May elections.
He was arrested by operatives of the PRO-12’s anti-illegal drugs special operations task group during a raid at his house on Oct. 13, 2016 for illegal possession of firearms. The guns turned out to have been issued by the provincial government.
The PRO-12 then described Yungco as a narco-politician and was allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade as protector. (PNA)
