COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Gunmen killed a Moro farmer active in peacebuilding programs and his son in an ambush Tuesday night in M'lang town in Cotabato province.
In a statement Tuesday, the office of Police Brig. Gen. Jamil Macaraeg, director of the Police Regional Office 12, identified the fatalities as Tatuan Mangelen Buisan and his son, Benjie.
They were riding a motorcycle together when gunmen positioned along a road in Barangay Dunguan in M'lang flagged them down and shot them with pistols.
Buisan was an active supporter of domestic peacebuilding activities meant to foster religious and cultural solidarity among Moro and non-Moro communities, according to relatives and traditional Moro elders.
Buisan died on the spot while his son succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in a hospital later.
Probers from the M'lang Municipal Police Station told reporters Tuesday barangay officials are helping identify their ambushers.
Macaraeg said Tuesday he has instructed the intelligence unit of the Cotabato Provincial Police Office to help identify the culprits for immediate prosecution.