A leader from the Bukidnon Tagoloanon tribe was shot dead in an ambush in this city on October 23.
Police identified the victim as Datu James Mapa, 52, a tribal leader residing in Dela Cerna Compound, Purok 4 in Barangay Sumpong.
Mapa was ambushed around 7:30 a.m. at Upper Kalawaig, Purok 6, of the same village by unidentified armed men. Investigation showed Mapa was driving his motorcycle when the culprits waylaid him.
Mapa sustained fatal gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body causing his instant death.
Supt. Al Abanales, the newly-installed chief of police of Malaybalay City Police Station (MCPS), said investigation indicated that land conflict could be the motive in the killing.
Datu Genero Bero, another tribal leader, told the police that prior to Mapa’s death, the victim confided to him the threats he had received through text messages and phone calls. The victim said that he had no idea on the persons threatening him, except that it is related to a land conflict.
The victim was the designated tribal leader of the Bukidnon Tagoloanon Tribe, which has ancestral domain claims over 900 hectares of land. Their claim is also being contested by other tribal claimants. (PNA)
