COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 16 Aug)— A barangay captain in Maguindanao del Sur was killed while a village councilor was injured when unidentified men set off a powerful improvised bomb in Shariff Saydona Mustapha town.
Rex Torino, speaking for the local government of nearby Datu Salibo town, said Jun “Datu Manot” Silongan, chairman of Barangay Penditen in Datu Salibo, died on the spot after the blast that occurred at 8:40 a.m. in Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saydona town.
Citing initial information, Brig. Gen. Oriel Pangcog, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, confirmed that one barangay captain was killed and a village councilor injured in their area in “SPMS box.”
The “SPMS-box” is a military term referring to the contiguous towns of Shariff Aguak, Pagatin (Datu Saudi Ampatuan town), Mamasapano, and Shariff Saydona, where several Moro armed groups are found. These include the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) Dawlah Islamiyah (DI-ISIS), and private armed groups.
Torino said Silongan was walking with other village officials from the barangay hall of Barangay Ganta when the blast occurred.
Silongan died due to shrapnel injuries in different parts of the body, Torino said.
Also injured was Penditen councilor Salik Datua. A report from a hospital in Midsayap, North Cotabato said that one patient lost a leg in the blast from the said area.
The slain barangay captain is the brother of Datu Salibo town councilor Demson Silongan, who was murdered on April 17 while he was heading to the Sangguniang Bayan session hall.
Police and military bomb experts are still conducting post blast probe. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)