Isabela City Vice Mayor Kifli Hataman-Salliman has publicly denounced the brutal murder of a local government employee, urging for a more rigorous application of the election gun ban. The victim, Ricardo Laguardia, aged 30, served as the head of the secretariat for both the City Peace and Order Council and the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council. He was fatally shot by unknown assailants in Barangay San Rafael, Isabela City, Basilan province, around 6:45 p.m. on Thursday. Laguardia had just dismounted from his motorcycle when he was attacked. The perpetrators escaped the scene, leaving Laguardia, who was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead upon arrival. Police found three spent .45-caliber pistol shells at the location of the shooting. In response, Vice Mayor Salliman called for justice and encouraged the community to stay calm and alert. In a related incident, police arrested a gunman on Thursday who had injured a barangay official and her husband in Barangay Eastside, Isabela City. The shooting of councilor Rowena Repono, 51, and her husband Dominick, 54, occurred around 8:35 p.m. on Wednesday as they were traveling on a motorcycle.
