Town poll exec shot dead, gov bet hurt in gun attacks in Soccsksargen

Inquirer files

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — A municipal election official was killed and a candidate for governor was wounded in separate gun attacks in Soccskargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City), amid a continuing spate of gun attacks in the region leading to the 2025 elections.

John Nico Pandoy, the assistant election officer of Isulan town but detailed as acting election officer of President Quirino, both in Sultan Kudarat province, was heading home aboard his motorcycle when shot in the head by two men also riding on a motorbike at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

READ: 3 slain in separate gun attacks in Maguindanao provinces

Pandoy, who lived in Purok Sampaguita, Barangay Poblacion of President Quirino, died before reaching the hospital.

Some 20 minutes later, gubernatorial aspirant Gladden Lim, 48, a resident of Alabel town, had just entered his vehicle parked inside the compound of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church along Dacera Avenue, Barangay City Heights, General Santos City, when shot twice in the abdomen by unidentified gunmen.

Lim was rushed to the Mindanao Medical Center located just in front of the SDA compound and now secured by authorities, said Police Capt. Miguel Angelo Quidilla, chief of the city police’s Station 4.

Police told reporters they identified some “persons of interest” in the attempt against Lim but did not divulge details.

Lim, who is running under the Maharlika Party, is running against reelectionist Gov. Rogelio Pacquiao of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Mohammad Aquia of PDP-Laban.

SDA pastor Bernard Nitro said they were clueless as to the possible motives behind the attack, saying Lim, a church board member, “is a simple man, a very helpful person” who, a lawyer like his wife, is a “very modest and have a simple family.”

Saturday’s separate gun attacks happened days after an aspirant for vice mayor was killed in South Cotabato’s town of Tantangan on Nov. 18.

Jose Osorio, 58, a three-term village chair of Bukay Pait running as vice mayoral runningmate of former Tantangan Mayor Benjamin Figueroa Jr., was found dead in a pool of blood inside his home at 5:50 a.m. on Monday.

A P1-million reward has been offered by South Cotabato Rep. Peter Miguel to anyone who could provide information leading to the identification and arrest of the killers of Osorio.

Since August police have also recorded the deaths of Esmael Mustapha, who was eyeing a seat in for the municipal council of Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao del Norte, who was killed on Aug. 18; Amado Serra, chair of Barangay Laguilayan, Isulan town, who was ambushed on Aug. 19; and Toto Gogo Kensa, 45, a municipal councilor candidate of Datu Hoffer town of Maguindanao del Sur, who was shot dead on Oct. 19.