-
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 10 August) – A casual employee of the Provincial Election Office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Maguindanao was shot dead while playing chess in Cotabato City on Tuesday.
Captain Rustum Pastolero, City Police Precinct 2 commander identified the victim as Jonathan Pagadas Ganta, 43, a resident of Purok Balabaran, Rosary Heights 10 where the crime happened.
Ganta was playing chess with friends in a shed when an unidentified gunman fired his M-16 rifle, instantly killing the victim.
A padyak (tricycle) driver identified as Guiamad Utto Akmad was hit by stray bullets and was rushed to a hospital.
Pastolero said their initial investigation suggested that the victim was the only target.
“Based on the revelations from the close relatives, it could possibly be a work-related motive,” he said.
The victim’s body was set to be buried Tuesday according to Muslim rites in Guindulungan, Maguindanao and will be attended by his co-employees from the Comelec. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera/MindaNews)