KIDAPAWAN CITY – Heavily-armed men shot and killed yet another village official and wounded three others in Kabacan, Cotabato Sunday night (Sept. 22).
Lt. Colonel Bernard Tayong of the Cotabato provincial police office identified the slain official as Barumbong “Bong” Matalam Bacana, 43, village chief of Barangay Kayagan.
He was the fourth village chief killed in Kabacan this year.
Tayong said the motive of the attack against Bacana could either be personal grudge or work-related.
“Village officials now are very active in law enforcement operation, including clearing of highways as directed by the DILG,” Tayong explained.
“They may have earned the ire of lawless groups,” he added.
Initial investigation showed that Bacana and several barangay tanods (village watchmen) were conversing in front of the barangay hall at around 8:45 p.m. when the assailants, armed with automatic assault rifles, showed up, fired at the victims and fled.
Villagers rushed to the scene and brought the victims to a hospital in Kabacan where Bacana was declared dead on arrival.
The three other victims, members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team, were initially treated in the Kabacan hospital and were later transferred to another healthcare facility.
Last week, Barangay Lower Paatan chairman Ben Candanganan was likewise dead.
In the wake of the killings of village officials, the Kabacan local government offered a P200,000 bounty for information leading to the arrest of suspects.
Tayong said they are investigating if the four attacks against village officials were related. /gsg