3 dead, 2 wounded in Lanao del Sur election-related gunfight

MALABANG, Lanao del Sur --- Three were killed while two others were wounded in a shootout on Monday morning inside the campus here of the Malabang National High School.

Two of the fatalities, Ambol Macapodi and Ansano Paramata, are relatives of mayoral candidate Al-Rashid Boloto Macapodi, who is brother of the incumbent mayor here.

The third fatality, Jong Balindong, is related to another aspirant for the mayoral seat in this municipality, Dagar Balindong.

Col. Christopher Panapan, Lanao del Sur provincial police director, said investigators are still trying to determine the circumstances that led to the gunfight that caused the deaths of the three voters while inside a high school campus here.

Poll officials have clustered in the Malabang National High School campus a number of voting precincts from barangays beset with security issues.

The incident left Saidamen Macapodi and Alikman Sidic badly wounded, now both in a hospital.

Brig. Gen. Arthur Cabaluna, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and Major Gen. Juvymax Uy of the 6^th Infantry Division, said police, Army and Marine personnel are to tighten security here to prevent escalation of hostilities among rival Maranao clans.

Malabang is being secured by units of the Navy’s 1^st Marine Brigade, which is under the operational control of 6^th ID.