COTABATO CITY – Authorities are pursuing a communist hit squad who shot dead an Indigenous People Municipal Representative (IPMR) and wounded two others Wednesday in Magpet, North Cotabato.
Supt. Bernard Tayong, spokesperson for North Cotabato, identified the slain victim as Magpet IPMR Antonio Takinan, 50, who sat as an appointed member of the town council in concurrent position.
Takinan’s two injured colleagues were identified as Robello Tambunan, 62, IP representative of Barangay Tagbac, and Rene Soriano, 50, an escort.
Tayong said the victims were on their way home from a town council session onboard two separate motorcycles when tailed and fired upon by motorcycle-riding members of the New People’s Army (NPA) along the road.
The attackers sped off towards the interiors of the town following the incident.
Recovered by responding policemen from the ambush site were empty shells from M16 rifles and .45 caliber pistols.
Tayong said that Takinan, prior to his death, was a staunch critic of the NPA group operating in the area under a certain Commander Rosete. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
