Maguindanao Sur police form probe body on councilman’s slay
Maguindanao del Sur map. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
DATU PIANG, Maguindanao del Sur — Police authorities in Maguindanao del Sur have formed a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to expedite the resolution of last Saturday’s killing of a village councilor in this town.
Motorcycle-riding gunmen ambushed on Sept. 16 Leonardo de Jesus Jr., member of the Poblacion Barangay Council, in Barangay Kanguan.
De Jesus, 59, was sitting in the front seat of his Toyota Innova vehicle driven by his son when gunmen blocked their path and opened fire, according to Lieutenant Colonel Armando Liwan, Datu Piang police chief.
De Jesus, a last termer village councilman, was not seeking any elective position in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Brigadier General Allan Nobleza, police director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), ordered the creation of “SITG-De Jesus,” according to Colonel Ruel Sermese, provincial director of Maguindanao Police Provincial Office.
The SITG is composed of personnel from the Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Forensic Group, Regional Intelligence Unit, Maguindanao police office and Datu Piang municipal police station under the supervision of Sermese.
He said the task group would focus on expediting the investigation and identification of the perpetrators.
“The SITG will help expedite the gathering of pieces of evidence and testimonies for immediate filing of charges against the suspects,” Sermese said.
De Jesus died in a hospital in nearby Midsayap town, Cotabato province, while his son, who also suffered gunshot wounds, is still undergoing medication.
Liwan said investigators were still exploring other possible motives of the ambush.
De Jesus was the sixth village official slain in Maguindanao provinces this year.
BARMM police have listed more than 10 cases of gun attacks involving incumbent and aspiring village officials across the region since January.
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