1 week Ago By Ferdinandh Cabrera
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Gunmen attacked and killed a candidate for municipal councilor in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur, prompting the police to form a special team of investigators to identify the perpetrators and solve the case. The victim, identified as 45-year-old Toto Gogo Kensa, was riding a motorcycle with his wife, Norhaiya, when assailants opened fire at them along a highway near Labu-Labu village around 6 pm on Saturday, October 19. The couple was on their way home from Shariff Aguak when they were ambushed, authorities said.
Kensa had filed his candidacy for town councilor in the 2025 elections under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, according to Datu Hoffer election officer Hamra Asya Macapeges. Lieutenant Albert Pansoy, chief of the Datu Hoffer police, said a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) was formed to investigate the killing. “Kensa’s position as both a local candidate and an elected official adds urgency to the investigation,” Pansoy said.
Datu Hoffer Mayor Bai Bong Ampatuan said the victim was a barangay councilor of Labu-Labu 2. Kensa’s wife, who survived the attack, told investigators that her husband had not received any threats and felt confident about his safety in the area. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has placed the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) under close watch due to frequent election-related violence .
The region has seen a rise in politically motivated killings, with tensions often escalating during election periods. A report released in August by the Council for Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCCA), a peace-building group, highlighted a surge in violence across BARMM since 2021. The group has repeatedly criticized the government for failing to address the root causes of the violence , such as poverty, inequality, and land disputes.
The CCCA urged the government to implement more decisive measures to address the escalating violence in the region. – Rappler.com.
