Filipino mayor and wife arrested for killing of vice-mayor
Mr Reynalbert Insular, the mayor of South Upi in Maguindanao del Sur, and his wife were arrested on May 20. PHOTO: MAYOR REYNALBERT O. INSULAR/FACEBOOK
Filipino mayor and wife arrested for killing of vice-mayor
MANILA - The mayor of South Upi in Maguindanao del Sur and his wife were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of his vice-mayor in August last year.
Authorities made the arrest in Barangay Making in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte on May 20, according to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in a statement on May 21.
The arrest stemmed from a warrant for murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 27 in Cotabato City on May 12, the CIDG said.
'In November 2024, the SITG (Special Investigation Task Group) filed criminal complaints… against 12 accused, including the mayor and his wife, for their alleged participation as alleged 'masterminds' in the planning and orchestration of the ambush,' the police unit further detailed.
Although the CIDG did not name the two suspects, the incumbent mayor of South Upi is Mr Reynalbert Insular.
The CIDG did not give further details about the 10 other individuals accused.
The ambush took place in Sitio Linao in Barangay Pandan, South Upi on the early evening of August 2, killing vice-mayor Roldan Benito and his aide Weng Marcos.
The incident also left Mr Benito's wife, Analyn, a community leader, and his 11-year-old child injured with gunshot wounds. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Australian bouncy castle operator cleared over accident that killed six children
SYDNEY - An Australian woman whose bouncy castle was blown into the air by a freak wind event, killing six children, was found not guilty on June 6 of failing to meet her health and safety duties. In December 2021, a gust of wind lifted the inflatable castle about 10 metres into the air while children were celebrating the end of their year at a primary school in Devonport, northern Tasmania. Six children died and three were seriously injured. Ms Rosemary Gamble, owner of party equipment company Taz-Zorb that operated the bouncy castle, was charged with failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty. She pleaded not guilty and on June 6, the Devonport Magistrates Court dismissed the charges against her. Magistrate Robert Webster said the bouncy castle was lifted into the air by an 'unprecedented weather system, namely a dust devil'. 'Ms Gamble could have done more or taken further steps; however, given the effects of the unforeseen and unforeseeable dust devil, had she done so, that would sadly have made no difference to the ultimate outcome,' Mr Webster said in his decision. 'In those circumstances I find the charge is not proved. It is therefore dismissed.' 'No words' Ms Gamble said she accepted how 'deeply and tragically this incident impacted so many people and families'. 'I realise those scars will remain for an extremely long time, likely forever,' she said in a statement to the Australian national broadcaster ABC. 'There are no words to describe how I have felt ever since that tragic incident took so much away from so many people and left nothing but heartbreak and emptiness in its place. 'I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did.' Mr Andrew Dodt, the father of one of the children who died in the incident, said he had been 'broken for a long time'. 'And I think I'm going to be broken for a lot more,' Mr Dodt said in a statement to the ABC. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Six-year-old girl among Myanmar group arrested for killing retired general
Myanmar's military has arrested a six-year-old child as part of a group it labelled "terrorists" for the daytime killing of a retired military officer and diplomat last month, a junta-run newspaper reported on Friday. Cho Htun Aung, 68, a retired brigadier general who also served as an ambassador, was shot dead in Myanmar's commercial capital of Yangon on May 22, in one of the highest profile assassinations in a country in the throes of a widening civil war. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, overthrowing an elected government led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering widespread protests. The junta's violent crackdown on dissent sparked an unprecedented nationwide uprising. A collection of established ethnic armies and new armed groups have wrested away swathes of territory from the well-armed military, and guerrilla-style fighting has erupted even in urban areas like Yangon. "A total of 16 offenders - 13 males and three females - were arrested," the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. In an accompanying graphic, the newspaper carried the image of the six-year-old child, identified as the daughter of the alleged assassin. Her face was blurred in an online version of the newspaper seen by Reuters, but visible in other social media posts made by junta authorities. A junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment. Golden Valley Warriors, an anti-junta insurgent group, said they killed the retired general because of his continued support for military operations, including attacks on civilians, according to a May 22 statement. The junta claims the group is backed by the National Unity Government - a shadow government comprising of remnants of Suu Kyu's ousted administration that is battling the military - and paid an assassin some 200,000 Myanmar Kyat ($95.52) for a killing, the state newspaper reported. NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt denied the shadow government had made any such payments. "It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people," he told Reuters. Since the coup, Myanmar's junta has arrested over 29,000 people, including more than 6,000 women and 600 children, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, an activist group. Fatalities among civilians and pro-democracy activists verified by AAPP during this period amount to more than 6,700, including 1,646 women and 825 children. Myanmar's junta has said it does not target civilians and its operations are in response to attacks by "terrorists" for maintaining peace and stability in the country. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Lyon's Matic, Le Havre's Hassan given two-game bans after concealing Ligue 1's anti-homophobia badge
Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Nemanja Matic and Le Havre striker Ahmed Hassan have each been handed two-game bans with a further two matches suspended after they concealed Ligue 1's anti-homophobia insignia on their shirts, the French top-flight said. Serbian Matic, 36, had put on a tape over the anti-homophobia badge when he came on as a substitute during Lyon's 2-0 home win over Angers on May 17 which was the final day of the Ligue 1 season. His Lyon contract is set to expire at the end of the month. Egyptian Hassan, 32, also received the same punishment, with the incident having occurred during Le Havre's 3-2 win at Strasbourg. "In addition, the committee proposed to the player - who immediately accepted at the meeting - that he take part, within six months, in a campaign to raise awareness of the fight against homophobia in football..." Ligue 1 said in a statement on Thursday. Ligue 1 had planned for players to wear rainbow-coloured symbols on shirts or armbands and display messages in stadiums as part of its annual awareness drive. Yet participation has been uneven in recent years, with some players citing personal or religious reasons for opting out. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
