Maguindanao village chief, 2 others shot dead

MANILA, Philippines – Unidentified men shot dead a village head and two of his relatives in a remote barangay in Maguindanao, the authorities said Friday.

Perfecto Travilla, captain of Barangay (village) Dampan in South Upi and relatives Jayson Mundo, 16, and Alex Tumbaga, 29 were killed at around 11 a.m. on Thursday, the report said.

Insp. Roel Villarin, South Upi municipal police chief, said Travilla and the two other victims were heading to the town proper of South Upi in a jeep when three gunmen opened fire as they were negotiating a dirt road in Sitio Langkat.

“We are still investigating to determine if the ambush was related to his work as village chief or due to an old grudge,” Villarin said.

Elsie Travilla, the village head’s wife, told investigators the ambush could have been the offshoot of a land dispute with another family in Barangay Pandan.

RELATED STORIES

Bus driver killed as gunmen strafe bus in Maguindanao

Maguindanao village councilor shot dead