By John Unson (philstar.com)
Updated April 29, 2013 - 1:59pm
COTABATO CITY, Philippines --- A still unidentified gunman shot dead Sunday night a candidate for the municipal council in troubled Banisilan town in North Cotabato.
Senior Supt. Danny Peralta, director of the North Cotabato police, said the victim, Gafur Omar, was on his way home from a late campaign engagement at the town proper of Banisilan when a gunman approached from behind and repeatedly shot the victim with a pistol.
Peralta said Omar, who was a candidate for municipal councilor, died on the spot.
Peralta said investigators are still trying to determine if the shooting incident was politically-motivated.
Two security escorts of a re-electionist councilor in the same town were wounded in an ambush about a month ago. The councilor survived the ambush unscathed and was quick to blame Moro guerillas identified with a rival clan as behind the attempt on his life.
Peralta said he has deployed a company of policemen to Banisilan as part of the security measurest to stave off any escalation of election-related hostilities in the area.
Banisilan accounts for most number of still unresolved “rido,” or clan wars involving armed Moro clans in North Cotabato.
