NoCot town mayor, driver shot dead

 SHOT DEAD. Residents and town employees cover the remains of Libungan Mayor Christopher Cuan, who was shot dead on Monday, January 11, 2021. His driver (inset) also died in the incident. (PHOTO COURTESY OF NOCOT BOARD MEMBER ROLLY SACDALAN, MINDANAO EXPOSE’) 

LIBUNGAN, North Cotabato – An unidentified gunman shot dead a town mayor and his driver in North Cotabato Monday morning, January 11.

Colonel Henry Villar, North Cotabato police director, said Mayor Christopher “Amping” Cuan of Libungan, North Cotabato, was shot dead together with his driver while inspecting the construction of a cockfighting arena in Barangay Cabaruyan, also in Libungan, a few meters from his home. 

“The shooting occurred shortly before 11 a.m.,” Villar said.

Witnesses said the killers were on board a blue sports utility vehicle which sped off towards an unknown direction after the incident. Both the mayor and his driver, identified as Edwin Navarro Ihaw, died on the spot.

"A manhunt is ongoing as of this time against the killers,” Villar said.

Cuan, who was included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 drug suspects, survived an assassin’s bullet on January 8 last year after being shot in front of the town hall.

He strongly denied involvement in illegal drugs and even went to see then-Philippine National Police Director Gen. Ronaldo Dela Rosa in Camp Crame to clear his name.

His name had since been delisted.

North Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco condemned the incident "in the highest degree".

"I have instructed the Cotabato Provincial PNP Director to immediately conduct a thorough investigation on this violent incident to achieve full justice to the victim,” she said.

Aside from being a town mayor, Cuan was also chair of an alliance of municipalities in North Cotabato that advocates for infrastructure development in its member-towns. (EDWIN FERNANDEZ, PNA, MINDANAO EXPOSE’)