BARMM police gun down 2 ‘hired killers’ in Maguindanao clashThe two wanted persons, who allegedly resisted arrest by policemen in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, died instantly from gunshot wounds sustained in the shootout they allegedly provoked. COTABATO CITY — Policemen shot dead two individuals long wanted for murder and other crimes during an operation in Barangay Rebuken in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte before dawn on Monday, March 23, after an attempted peaceful arrest went awry. The two wanted persons, Peter Osorio and Edwin Mallorca, died from multiple gunshot wounds sustained in a brief shootout with personnel of the Sultan Kudarat Municipal Police Station, led by their chief, Lt. Col. Esmael Madin. Osorio, a resident of Antipas town in Cotabato, had been hiding in Barangay Rebuken after the Regional Trial Court Branch 17 in Kidapawan City ordered his arrest on March 11, 2024, for multiple murder and other heinous crimes. Local officials and traditional Moro leaders said Mallorca, a known trafficker of shabu and marijuana, had been providing Osorio sanctuary in his hideout in Barangay Rebuken.

Source: Philippine Star March 23, 2026 10:51 UTC