Anti-coal advocate and Mayor Pablo Matinong Jr was killed from a riding-in-tandem in Sto Niño, South Cotabato, Philippines. Sto Niño police report that Matinong was walking alone as he checked a road concreting project in his town when two motorcycle-riding men in face masks appeared and shot the mayor twice in the head. Matinong was an advocate for sustainable and organic farming and opposed mining in South Cotabato and contributed with various projects. He was also known to help and collaborate with several other organisations for these projects. Matinong opposed the idea of the creation of coal mining sites in Lake Sebu, Barangay Ned, and South Cotabato. These provinces were known to have one of the largest coal deposits in the country and the proposal of a mining site from Daguma Agro Minerals Inc (DAMI) was opposed by locals and allegedly violates the Environment code. In previous years, Matinong was accused by President Rodrigo Duterte regarding his involvement with drug allegations.