Cotabato City village chair, 2 others hurt in ambush

COTABATO CITY –– Unidentified gunmen shot and seriously injured a woman village chief here and her two companions, police said.

Lt. Colonel Portia Manalad, Cotabato City police director, told reporters the shooting occurred about 12:30 p.m. while Bai Ella Biruar, village chief of Barangay Bagua-Mother, was heading home aboard a vehicle from the downtown area.

It was not known if Biruar was driving the vehicle or someone else did.

As they were in front of the San Roque parish church in Barangay Bagua-Mother, two men pulled pistols and opened fire on Biruar’s vehicle, Manalad said, citing results of an initial probe.

The assailants fled the crime scene onboard two motorbikes as neighbors rushed the victims to a hospital.

Manalad said Biruar’s companions, Jasmin Samson and Princess Odin, were also hurt.

The motive and identities of the perpetrators are yet to be determined by police as the investigation continues, Manalad added.

Edited by Lzb