Cotabato City official wounded, driver killed in gun attack

COTABATO CITY - Motorcycle gunmen ambushed a vehicle carrying a city government official on Tuesday and killed his driver in the daring broad daylight attack here.

Pedro Tato Jr, chief of the Cotabato City General Services Office, was wounded in the attack, but his driver, Dandy Anonat, 30, was killed in the ambush carried out by three men on two motorcycles, who tailed the victims' pickup truck. Tato was heading to work at the time of the attack.

The ambush occurred along Sebastian Street near the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, according to the police. 

The Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation reported that Anonat died in the hospital.

A grenade was also lobbed at the house of a Sheriff Abas, former chairman of the Commission on Elections, at Rosary Heights 3. No one was hurt in the blast.

The mayor, Bruce Matabalao, offered a P300,000 bounty for the capture of the shooters and the grenade thrower. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but gun attacks are not uncommon in Cotabato City due to the presence of hired killers. 

"Such a remorseless act of violence is abominable and must not be perpetuated. The Cotabato City Police Office and other law enforcement agencies are strongly urged to address gun violence in the City — and waste no time in the consistent operations against illegal firearms. No stone must be left unturned," Matabalao said. "The Administrasyong Para sa Lahat stands together to condemn such acts and support efforts to ensure the safety of our public officials and the people they serve." (Mindanao Examiner)