Former Bukidnon town mayor shot dead

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A former Bukidnon town mayor and a real estate developer was shot dead by motorcycle-riding assailants just a few meters away from the Hall of Justice along Mastersons Avenue in Barangay Upper Carmen here Saturday morning.

Police said Joelito “Jukens” Talaid, the former mayor of Kadingilan town in Bukidnon and reported to be an owner of a construction firm and a housing subdivision, was driving his black Dodge Ram pickup truck when unidentified gunmen fired at him.

Investigators said Talaid was killed during the shooting.

In a statement Saturday afternoon, Mayor Oscar Moreno called the killing a “senseless” and “barbaric” act as he urged authorities to identify the gunmen and bring them to justice.

“I urged him (city police director) to ensure that this killing is solved immediately, with the identification and capture of the perpetrators and the mastermind behind them,” said Moreno, also the Regional Peace and Order Council chair.

“Cruel and treacherous acts like this killing have no place in any decent and peace-loving community, especially during the season when we celebrate Christmas. I call upon anyone who may have any information about the killers to come forward,” Moreno said./lb