A Muslim barangay official and his wife, who is running for councilor in Sarangani, were gunned down while campaigning in a remote village last Tuesday, police said.
The victims, Elias Abod, treasurer of Barangay Tuanadatu, and his wife Josephine were ambushed by four men, led by one Commander Tawan-tawan, in Sitio Lahat.
Abod’s second wife Dolores survived the attack.
Authorities suspect that the slaying had something to do with a land conflict, but do not discount politics as possible motive.
The killing is the first poll-related violence in Sarangani, where the Commission on Elections has identified several barangays as potential hot spots.
Last Sunday night, an aspirant for barangay chairman in Tanauan City, Batangas was gunned down, while two days earlier, a supporter of an incumbent village chief in Pio V. Corpuz, Masbate died in the hands of suspected communist rebels. — John Paul Jubelag, Rene Alviar and Celso Amo