Gunmen kill reelected Shariff Aguak town councilor

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao ---- Suspected partisans shot dead a reelected municipal councilor on Wednesday night and blasted rifle grenades in the surroundings of his house in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.Councilor Hadie Malaguial, reelected as the No. 4 town councilor under the administration's Liberal Party,died on the spot from bullet wounds sustained the attack.Police investigators said the gunmen, armed with M-16 and M-14 assault rifles, barged into the residential yard of Malaguial and recklessly opened fire, hitting the councilor in different parts of his body.Relatives are convinced the murder of Malaguial was politically-motivated.His killers fired 40 millimeter grenade projectiles in the surroundings of his residence while fleeing from the scene,
apparently to ward off pursuing policemen.A child was killed while three others were injured when suspected partisans fired B-40 anti-tank rockets at houses in west of Shariff Aguak on the eve of the May 9 elections.