A village official and his wife were killed by unknown gunmen in the southern Philippines late Tuesday, police said Wednesday.
The victims, Tonyo Binuhay, a tribal leader in the village of Tablu in Tampakan township of South Cotabato province, and his nine-month pregnant wife Rossana, were inside their house on Tuesday night when their attackers raided their home and shot them, regional police spokesman Chief Inspector Alexis Yap said.
Based on the account of Tonyo's sister, Carmen, her brother had a heated argument with another tribal leader in their village over land dispute, Yap said.
"We are looking into clan war among the motives in the incident, " said Yap.
In the southern Philippines, clan wars are common and sometimes the hostilities could last for decades until a peace pact is reached by protagonists, usually through mediation by religious leaders and the payment of "blood money."
Among major causes for clan wars are land disputes, particularly those caused by disputed government surveys or ancestral land claims; political rivalries, mostly election- related; crime-related, including murder and proliferation of illegal drugs, competition over resources and businesses.