NCIP official killed in Basilan gun attack

AN OFFICIAL of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) was killed in a gun attack in Basilan province, the police said Monday, April 21, 2025.

The Isabela City police identified the fatality as Czarina Mae Mustafa-Malun, head of the NCIP office in Basilan.

The police said the gun attack happened around 11 a.m. Monday, April 21, in Tabuk village, Isabela City, the capital of Basilan province.

Police investigation showed that three gunmen barged into the NCIP office and shot the victim. The gunmen fled after the incident.

Malun was rushed but was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital by the attending physician.

The Isabela City police have launched an intelligence operation to track down and arrest the gunmen.

Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman strongly condemned the killing of Malun and urged the police conduct an in-depth probe on the incident.

Malun was the third government official killed in Isabela City since February this year.

The first was Ricardo Laguardia, 30, head of the secretariat of the Isabela City Peace and Order Council and City Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

Laguardia was killed in the evening of February 20 in San Rafael village, Isabela City.

The second was Tingan Pioquinto Mancenido, an employee of Isabela City Government.

Mancenido was driving his motorcycle on the way to report for work when repeatedly shot by an unidentified gunman on March 24, in Sitio Buracan, Tabiawan village, Isabela City.

The three incidents happed amid the nationwide implementation of the election gun ban. (SunStar Zamboanga)