Maguindanao del Sur: Police authorities in Maguindanao del Sur, supported by soldiers, have initiated a manhunt for two suspects involved in the fatal shooting of reelected town councilor Thong Mamasalanao Asim in Datu Piang. The attack took place on Wednesday, as confirmed by an official on Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) reported that Councilor-elect Asim, aged 56 and an agriculture businessman, succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital following the 3:45 p.m. incident. The shooting occurred directly outside Asim's copra buy-and-sell business in Barangay Poblacion, as stated by Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura, PRO-BAR spokesperson.

Initial investigations revealed that the assailants, donning black shirts and dark glasses, approached Asim's copra buying station to inquire about copra prices before opening fire. They subsequently fled the scene on a motorbike. In response, the Datu Piang town government issued a statement condemning the attack on Asim.

Mayor Victor Samama of Datu Piang expressed that "Councilor Asim was a dedicated public servant whose commitment to the welfare of his constituents was unwavering." Asim was a member of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), affiliated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and had recently been reelected for his third and final term as a municipal councilor during the May 12 midterm elections.

The UBJP-Maguindanao del Sur chapter also condemned the killing, describing it as "an attack not only on an individual but on the values of democracy, public service, and peace that we all strive to uphold."