Authorities in Maguindanao del Sur have initiated a manhunt for two gunmen who shot and killed reelected Datu Piang municipal councilor Thong Mamasalanao Asim on Wednesday afternoon.
Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) reported that Asim, 56, was gunned down outside his copra buy-and-sell business in Barangay Poblacion around 3:45 p.m. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura said the suspects, dressed in black shirts and dark sunglasses, posed as customers before shooting Asim and fleeing on a motorcycle.
Datu Piang Mayor Victor Samama condemned the killing, calling Asim a “dedicated public servant.” Asim was a member of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and was serving his third and final term.
The UBJP-Maguindanao del Sur chapter also denounced the attack, calling it an assault on democracy and public service. Police and military forces continue to pursue the assailants.
