Gunmen kill school principal in Maguindanao

COTABATO, Philippines – Suspected contract assassins shot and killed a government school principal on Saturday night, April 25, in Maguindanao, police said Sunday, April 26.

Police identified the victim as Tinto Tilas, head of Olandang National High School in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Maguindanao police commander Senior Superintendent Nickson Muksan said Tilas was standing in front of his house in Datu Piang town when he was attacked by two helmet-wearing gunmen around 6:30 pm.

Muksan said the victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the head, chest and back of his body, causing his immediate death.

“We are investigating the motive behind the killing. The suspects hurriedly left the scene after confirming their target dead,” Muksan said.

Authorities were investigating if the victim was involved in clan war in the town.

In Mindanao, violent conflicts are common among warring clans. Sometimes the hostilities could last for decades until a peace pact is reached by protagonists, usually through mediation by religious leaders and the payment of blood money.

Among the major causes include land disputes, particularly those caused by disputed government surveys or ancestral land claims; political rivalries, mostly election-related; crime-related, including murder and proliferation of illegal drugs, and competition over resources and businesses. – Rappler.com