Son of ex-vice-mayor shot dead in Maguindanao by gunmen in tandem

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Two motorcycle-riding men gunned down the son of a former vice-mayor of a town in Maguindanao along the highway in Tulunan, North Cotabato, around 9 a.m. Saturday, police reports said. Datu Paglas municipal police chief Inspector Marlon Sylvestre identified the victim as Rasul Datang, son of former Datu Paglas vice-mayor Datucan Datang. He was shot twice on his head, killing him instantly, while his wife, Jean Campong-Datang, was hit in her stomach and is in critical condition. She was rushed for medical treatment at a hospital in Tulunan, North Cotabato. Sylvestre has already ordered two of his men to secure the widow as she has clues as to the identity of one of the shooters. “I was told she knew one of the suspects so she might be a primary witness to the crime," the police officer said. Sylvestre is working with the police in Tulunan in investigating the case. “It could be a personal grudge, clan feud, or work-related to both the victim and his wife. We just don’t know. We’re still investigating the case," said Sylvestre. The victims were on their way home to Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, onboard a motorcycle, when they were fired upon by two motorcycle-riding men in Barangay Bual, Tulunan. The perpetrators, according to reports, had tailed the victims from Barangay Sibsib, Tulunan’s commercial district, and started attacking their targets upon reaching Barangay Bual.—Malu Cadelina Manar/MRT, GMANews.TV