JOLO ISLAND, 19 May 2004 — A village chieftain was killed and four others wounded when an unidentified gunman opened fire on them inside a house in the southern island of Jolo, police said.
Police said Sidrie Muksan died instantly in the attack late Monday near the village of Asturias in downtown Jolo.
Investigators speculated that the attack was political in nature. The victim was a brother of mayor Arthur Muksan of Siasi town. The Commission on Elections yesterday also suspended the proclamation of the winner in the local gubernatorial elections due to terrorism and reports of massive cheating in last week’s poll. Vote-counting is still going on inside the tightly guarded headquarters of the army’s 104th Infantry Brigade in Jolo. The military said threats of terror attacks forced election officials to hold the tabulation inside the military base.
Initial reports showed opposition presidential bet Fernando Poe Jr. was leading by a wide margin against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
