2 barangay captains shot dead in Zamboanga peninsula

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines —  Two barangay chairmen were gunned down separately in the Zamboanga peninsula on Saturday and police are looking into whether the cases are election related.

Police Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Luis Licup, director of Police Regional Office 9, identified the victims as Edgardo Podpod Viñas, 49, barangay chairman of Dapaon, Sindangan town, Zamboanga del Norte and Ibrahim Ungad, chairman of Barangay New Labangan in Labangan town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Viñas was also a town councilor, being the president of the Association of Barangay Captains.

Licup directed the police stations in both towns to conduct a thorough investigation into the killings.

Licup said Viñas was gunned down just before noon on Saturday in the ABC Hall at Barangay La Roche, Sindangan town by an unidentified gunman. He said the victim had just adjourned a session at the ABC Hall when the killer emerged with a long firearm and shot him dead.

Police said the shooter escaped on a motorcycle.
 
Ungad, on the other hand, was gunned down by two unidentified shooters in front of his residence in Purok Caimito, Tuburan District in Pagadian City on Saturday evening.

Ungad was coming out of his house when he was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun. His killers fled on a motorcycle in the direction of Barangay Tiguma in Pagadian City.