Maguindanao vice mayor survives attack

INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO

ESPERANZA, Sultan Kudarat — A town vice mayor in Maguindanao survived an attack on Saturday but his bodyguard was not as lucky.

Chief Inspector Bryan Bernardino, Esperanza town police chief, said Vice Mayor Samsodin Ampatuan Sangki of Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao, was wounded when unidentified men fired at the house of Melchor dela Cruz, chair of Barangay Kangkong here.

Dela Cruz was also wounded.

Bernardino identified the lone fatality as Harold Sayed Kalon, an electrician and Sangki’s bodyguard. He was declared dead in a hospital.

Investigation showed that three armed men emerged from the back of the village chair’s home and fired with automatic rifles at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Responding police officers recovered seven empty shells for cal.-45 pistols, two cartridges for cal.-30 Garand rifle and two M-1 Garand bullet casings.

Bernardino said the motive and the identities of the perpetrators remained unknown as of posting. CBB/rga