In a strong statement from Zamboanga City, Isabela City Vice Mayor Kifli Hataman-Salliman has publicly denounced the brutal murder of a local government employee, Ricardo Laguardia, aged 30. Laguardia, who served as the head of both the City Peace and Order Council and the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council, was fatally shot in Barangay San Rafael, Isabela City, Basilan province. The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, shortly after Laguardia dismounted from a motorcycle. The assailants, who remain unidentified, escaped the scene, leaving behind three .45-caliber pistol shells. Laguardia was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead upon arrival. Vice Mayor Salliman, speaking on behalf of the City Council, condemned the act and urged security forces to enforce the election gun ban more rigorously and to swiftly resolve the case, emphasizing the need for justice. In a related development, police in Isabela City arrested a gunman on Thursday who had injured a barangay councilor, Rowena Repono, 51, and her husband, Dominick, 54, in a shooting incident in Barangay Eastside the previous evening. The identity of the arrested suspect has not been disclosed by the regional police.
