COTABATO CITY – A septuagenarian who was at the wrong place, at the wrong time when a shooting occurred in Tulunan, North Cotabato on Tuesday has expired in a hospital in Kidapawan City.
Nelly Nacano, a 73-year-old retired school teacher, died from a bullet wound in her abdomen while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kidapawan City.
Supt. Bernard Tayong, North Cotabato police spokesperson, said Nacano was hit by a stray bullet intended for Joemar Almirante, village chief of Barangay Sibsib, Tulunan, North Cotabato.
Armed men on board a vehicle opened fire on Almirante at about 5:50 a.m. Tuesday while he was biking at the village hall grounds.
The bullets missed Almirante but one of them hit the old woman, who was rushed to the town’s hospital and later moved to Kidapawan City.
Almirante, one of five village officials in North Cotabato included on President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug watch list, escaped unharmed. He said he has no known enemies who would run after his life.
He denied any involvement in illegal drugs, saying wrong information linked him to the nefarious activity.
Tayong said investigation on the attempt on the village chief’s life is still ongoing. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
