Man wanted for arson shot dead in N. Cotabato

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – Soldiers manning a checkpoint in North Cotabato shot dead a man facing arson charges, who tried to flee after sensing he was to be frisked at a checkpoint.

“The soldiers did not know he was a wanted person. They were forced to shoot him when he tried to pull out something out of his pocket while he was being chased,” Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said.

Asto said a fragmentation grenade was found in one of the trouser pockets of Mustapha Guindalangan.  

“It was established, based on records, that the suspect has a pending arson case at the regional trial court in Midsayap and actually had a P1.2 million reward on his head,” he said.

Army intelligence units said Guindalangan was also tagged in more than a dozen kidnapping cases.