DAVAO CITY —- A hunter who was exploring the wilderness at the borders of Libungan and Carmen town in Cotabato province on Tuesday, accidentally killed a wildlife poacher whom he mistakenly though was a monkey.
The police identified the victim as William Rendoan Jr, a member of Menufu-Aromanen tribe.
The hunter whose identify was kept fatally hit Rendoan on his upper torso with the pellets of his shotgun.
The victim and the suspect are neighbors.
The municipal police forces and local executives from both towns agreed to withheld the name of the hunter pending amicable settlement and customary practices among Menufu-Aromanen tribal chieftains.
Police report indicated that Rendoan was reportedly setting up traditional contraptions designed to catch wild pigs when he was gunned down by Rendoan.
Rendoan immediately turned himself in to the tribal leaders in the village of Kitubod, border community of Libungan and Carmen.
The hunter confessed that he accidentally killed a fellow member of his tribe whom he had mistaken for a monkey moving in the bushes.
North Cotabato Provincial Police Office under Col. Harold Ramos of North Cotabato provincial police said they received the report but they cannot intervene as the indigenous groups in Kitubod area will follow the customary laws in solving the problem.