General Santos City — An Assistant Commission on Elections (COMELEC) officer from Isulan, the capital town of Sultan Kudarat, was killed in a shooting incident earlier this week while on his way home.

Quirino Municipal Police reported that the victim, identified as Nico Allan Pandoy, was gunned down while riding his motorcycle along National Highway, Purok Sampaguitas, Poblacion, President Quirino.

Initial investigations by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Quirino revealed that unidentified gunmen were tailing Pandoy’s motorcycle before opening fire. Witnesses and bystanders rushed the victim to the nearest hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) vowed on Tuesday to seek justice for the slain officer, following a similar case involving another COMELEC officer from Lanao del Norte, who was also killed. The poll body stated that they would not stop until justice is served.

In media interviews, COMELEC Commissioner George Garcia emphasized that all killings of their personnel are considered election-related. "We always consider it election-related because, even if there may be other personal reasons, it cannot be removed from the headlines—it will always say 'Election Officer of COMELEC' or 'COMELEC Election Assistant,'" Garcia said.