By Edwin Fernandez
COTABATO CITY – Two male suspects are being pursued for ambushing two members of the Teduray Lambangian tribe in a remote village in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur on Thursday afternoon.
Lt. Albert Pansoy Jr., chief of the Datu Hoffer Ampatuan municipal police station, identified the fatalities as Cita Angan, 39, and Ricky Tapioc, 30, both residents of Barangay Mantao.
Two others were injured — Kutang Tilok, another member of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) community, and Saber Zacaria, a Maguindanaoan and motorcycle driver.
Police are awaiting statements from the survivors to help identify the attackers.
According to Master Sgt. Amil Datuali of the Datu Hoffer police, former Barangay Sayap Chair Abdullah Omar reported hearing rapid gunfire in Sitio Skagit, Barangay Sayap, around 4 p.m. Thursday.
Responders, led by Lt. Pansoy, had to traverse about three kilometers of dirt roads to reach the crime scene.
Angan and her companions were returning home with relief goods from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Ministry of Social Services and Development when ambusuhed.
Minister Melanio Ulama of the BARMM Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs condemned the attack, describing it as a “cold-blooded killing” and “indefensible act of violence.”
Angan was the wife of tribal leader Baywan Angan, a former village councilman who was murdered in Sitio Kukor, Barangay Mantao on Dec. 7.
“We call on law enforcement and other government agencies to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of IPs in Datu Hoffer,” Ulama added. (PNA)
