A powerful improvised bomb went off Wednesday morning in Shariff Saydona town, Maguindanao del Sur, leaving a village chairman dead, while a village councilman and a civilian were seriously injured. Brig. Gen. Oriel Pangcog, the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade commander, identified the slain official as Jun Manot Silongan of Barangay Penditen, Datu Salibo. Silongan is the younger brother of Datu Salibo Councilor Desmon Silongan, who was killed on April 17 this year while alighting from his car in front of the town Sangguniang Bayan session hall. Also injured in the 8:45 a.m. blast were Penditen village councilor Salik Datua and a still unidentified civilian, who were both with Silongan. They were brought to a hospital in Midsayap, North Cotabato for treatment. Rico Torino, Datu Salibo municipal information officer, said Silongan and his party visited the barangay hall of Ganta on Wednesday morning. They were leaving the barangay hall premises when a bomb exploded, killing Silongan instantly due to shrapnel injuries in the head and body. Police and military bomb experts were still at the blast site conducting a post-blast investigation as of posting time

Source: Philippines News Agency