Notre Dame University condemns brutal killing of educator shot while going home

COTABATO CITY — The Notre Dame University (NDU) community is in mourning following the brutal slaying of one of its faculty members, Evangeline Pantorilla Abdullah, who was gunned down on the evening of July 2, 2026.

Abdullah, who served as a part-time faculty member at the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School, was also a dedicated teacher at the Cotabato City National High School.

According to Captain Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson of Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR), the incident occurred at approximately 7:40 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, in Sitio Curbada, Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

“Ms. Abdullah was standing near the national highway when an unidentified suspect approached and opened fire on her,” Salanguit said.

The perpetrator immediately fled the scene towards an unknown direction. Responding officers arrived shortly after, but despite efforts to provide aid, the victim died.

Local police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the killing and to identify the perpetrator.

In an official statement, Notre Dame University (NDU) expressed its strongest condemnation of the act, describing it as a "heinous and brutal" assault that has left the academic community in shock.

"The killing of a teacher is an attack on the very soul of our society," the university declared.

The NDU emphasized that violence has no place in a civil society, noting that targeting an educator is a direct assault on the dignity of institutions tasked with shaping future generations.

The university has issued a fervent appeal to local and national authorities to conduct a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation to bring those responsible to justice.

Beyond seeking justice for Abdullah, the university underscored the broader, alarming pattern of violence affecting educational institutions in the region.

“May Ma'am Evangeline not become another name in the list of unresolved killings,” the statement said. — BAP, GMA News

NDU officials expressed deep exhaustion with the culture of impunity that continues to cast a shadow of fear over centers of learning.

The university warned that until the safety and security of teachers and students are guaranteed, the pursuit of quality education in the Bangsamoro region will remain severely compromised. (END)