A village chairman and his wife were fatally ambushed in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao del Norte, late Sunday night, August 18. The attack occurred just weeks before a crucial plebiscite scheduled for September 7, which will decide on creating a new municipality from Sultan Kudarat under BARMM Parliament Bill 223.
Police reports indicate that Esmael Latip Mustapha, the barangay chairman of Bulibod, and his wife Rahima, who also served as the barangay secretary, were targeted by at least six armed men. The assailants ambushed the couple as they were returning home around 10 p.m. on Bulibod Road. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The incident has prompted heightened security measures in the area before the upcoming vote.
