SLAIN ASPIRANT. Police cordon off the vehicle of Haron Dimalanis, an aspiring village chairperson in Midsayap, North Cotabato after he was shot and killed by two gunmen in front of the Midsayap town hall at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 29, 2023). Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan condemned the attack and ordered stricter measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. (Photo courtesy of Midsayap MPS)
MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato – Unidentified gunmen shot dead an aspiring village chairperson while having lunch with companions shortly after he filed his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections office here Tuesday.
Haron Dimalanis, 40, of Barangay Malingao, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Malingao is one of the 63 villages in North Cotabato that are now part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) under the so-called Special Geographic Area.
Lt. Col.Peter Pinalgan Jr., Midsayap town 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.
Injured 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. (PNA)
