Elected councilman in Cotabato province slain in gun attack

A campaign flyer of Antilino.

COTABATO CITY — A newly elected village councilman in Midsayap, Cotabato was shot dead by a cousin after a heated argument on Wednesday morning.

Lieutenant Colonel John Miridel Calinga, Midsayap town police chief, identified the victim as Suharto Antilino, newly proclaimed “Barangay Kagawad” of Poblacion 3.

Citing the accounts of relatives and other witnesses, Calinga said the unidentified gunman was the cousin of the 35-year-old Antilino.

He said the shooting occurred about 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday near the barangay hall.

“Witnesses revealed that there was an argument between Antilino and his cousin before the shooting,” Calinga said in a radio interview.

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Calinga said relatives overheard his cousin as telling Antilino “don’t be like that, my cousin,’ in the Maguindanao dialect.

Some witnesses said Antilino ran but was chased by the gunman, who then opened fire, hitting him in the head.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

Responding police found an empty shell for a .45 pistol at the crime scene.

Calinga said the shooting was not election-related but more of a “personal grudge” involving the victim and the attacker.