An elementary school principal was injured after being shot by riding-in-tandem assailants in front of a school in Barangay Agriculture, Midsayap, Cotabato City, on Tuesday morning, August 12.
The victim was identified as Arlyn Dofredo Alcebar, a 54-year-old teacher and the principal of Agriculture Elementary School.
According to the authorities, Alcebar was about to enter the school premises while driving a car when she was suddenly shot by two unidentified assailants riding on a motorcycle.
The victim is currently confined in a hospital and is in stable condition.
The Cotabato Governor, Emmylou "Lala" Taliño-Mendoza, assures that the violence that occurred will not be overlooked, and justice will surely be served.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Midsayap, Rolly Sacdalan, called for a Safety and Security Meeting with regards to the shooting incident that occurred in front of the school. The purpose of the forum is to immediately identify the suspect and their whereabouts.
The meeting was attended by PLtCol Oliver Pauya, Officer-in-Charge of the Midsayap Municipal Police Station; LTC Edgardo Batinay, Commanding Officer of the 34th Infantry Battalion; PLtCol Rey Salgado, Commander of the 2nd Cotabato Provincial Mobile Force Company; Renante Arabis, President of the Liga ng mga Barangays; Maricar Karatuan, MPOC Focal Person; and several Punong Barangays from various barangays in the town.
Moreover, the Department of Education (DepEd) Philippines has shared the statement posted by DepEd RXII SDO Cotabato Province, saying that the DepEd Central Office “condemns in the strongest possible terms the shooting of the principal of Agriculture Central Elementary School in Midsayap, North Cotabato. This is not only an attack on an educator, but an assault on the sanctity of schools as safe zones for learning.”
The organization had deployed immediate coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), local government, and barangay officials for the swift arrest of the culprit.
