Advocate vs. drugs, gambling shot at home

SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines - Gunmen shot and seriously wounded a 'crusading' member of the municipal council in Isulan town in a daring broad daylight attack Monday.

Supt, Ruel Surmese, chief of the Isulan municipal police, said the victim, 50-year-old Rene Aristoza, was whiling away time at their frontyard in Purok Tisa in Barangay Kalawag when one of two suspects that arrived on board a motorcycle casually approached, pulled out a gun from his waist, and fired repeatedly, hitting him in different parts of his body.

Aristoza was popular in Isulan, capital town of Sultan Kudarat, for his being critical of narcotics trafficking and illegal gambling activities in the province allegedly involving influential people.

The suspects immediately escaped leaving the bloodied Aristoza sprawled on the ground after sensing that the shots they fired triggered a commotion among the victim’s neighbors. He was rushed to a hospital by responding civilian volunteers led by Barangay officials.

Surmese said investigators are still to determine the identities of Aristoza’s assailants and the motive for the near-fatal attempt on his life.