COTABATO CITY – In a grim turn of events in Cotabato City:In a grim turn of events in Cotabato City, police are aggressively pursuing two suspects accused of fatally shooting a member of the Maguindanao Indigenous Peoples (IP) community. The incident, which took place in broad daylight on Monday, has sparked widespread condemnation and calls for swift justice.
According to Philippines News Agency, Apt. Teofisto Ferrer Jr., chief of city police station 2, disclosed that the victim, Jun Quimbo, 40, was targeted while he was with his family in front of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs. Quimbo, a resident of Barangay Darugao in North Upi, Maguindanao del Norte, was there to obtain a tribal marriage certificate when two assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him. Ferrer reported that Quimbo was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The police have since located the motorcycle believed to have been used in the shooting on Pensacola Street and are currently examining security footage to ident
ify the suspects. Ferrer added, “We are awaiting a statement from the victim’s wife to help shed light on the incident.”
The killing has been vehemently denounced by Timuay Leticia Datuwata, a local IP leader, who highlighted that Quimbo was an ordinary farmer and his murder was entirely undeserved. She also noted the troubling statistic that Quimbo was the 76th IP member to be killed in the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur since 2018, underscoring a disturbing trend of violence against indigenous people in the region.