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CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 13 June) – Gunmen riding in tandem on a motorcycle shot dead 64-year-old Councilor Susan Bustillo Gayonan of Talakag in Bukidnon on Saturday and wounded two of her relatives.
Talakag police chief Major Dennis Rowell Flores said Gayonan was rushed to the town hospital but she had expired along the way.
Flores said her relatives, identified as Donna Mae Timtim and Jerry Bustillo, were were brought to a hospital in Cagayan de Oro but have been pronounced out of danger.
The murder of Gayonan sent shockwaves to the town of Talakag, a first class municipality in Bukidnon, some 65 kilometers south of Cagayan de Oro City.
Gayonan was an undefeated politician and was known for her good public service record.
She chaired the Talakag municipal council’s Committees on Agriculture and Social Services.
Flores said the two gunmen waited until the rains stopped at around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday before shooting Gayonan who was buying a bottle of water.
“Definitely the councilor was their target. They shot her first on the abdomen,” Flores told reporters.
Flores said Donna Mae was hit by a stray bullet. Bustillo tried to grab one of the suspects and was shot.
At the crime scene, police recovered five empty shells from a caliber .45 pistol and spare magazines, Flores said.
San Antonio barangay councilorAbe Bustillo said his sister Susan was busy preparing for the village fiesta of San Antonio de Padua when the shooting happened. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)