GODOD, ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE — A quiet neighborhood in Barangay Mauswagon was shattered by an act of extreme violence when a 52-year-old man was brutally beheaded by his own neighbor following what authorities suspect was a long-simmering personal dispute.

The gruesome incident has left the local farming community in a state of shock, as residents struggle to comprehend the sheer brutality that unfolded right outside their doors.

According to initial reports from the Godod Municipal Police, the victim and the suspect—who lived only a short distance from one another—engaged in a heated confrontation on Monday, June 22, 2026. What began as a verbal argument quickly deteriorated into a physical altercation.

The brutal assault unfolded with sudden, unexpected ferocity as witnesses reported the suspect wielding a heavy bolo—a large cutting tool traditionally used for farming—and turning violently on the victim. Before any bystanders could step in to intervene, the suspect struck the 52-year-old man multiple times, ultimately decapitating him and causing him to die instantly at the scene. In the immediate aftermath of the horrific attack, the suspect fled into the nearby forested terrain, leaving the victim's body exposed in the middle of the residential area.

Barangay Mauswagon is known as a tight-knit agricultural village where neighbors typically look out for one another. The gruesome nature of the crime has left locals paralyzed with fear and disbelief.

"We are used to typical disagreements over land boundaries or livestock, but nothing like this has ever happened here," said one resident, who asked to remain anonymous out of safety concerns. "To see a neighbor do this to another neighbor is horrifying."

Emergency responders and a medical team arrived shortly after the incident was reported to secure the scene and retrieve the victim's remains for a formal post-mortem examination.

The Godod Municipal Police Station, in coordination with provincial authorities, has officially launched a hot-pursuit operation to track down and arrest the fleeing suspect. Investigators are currently interviewing eyewitnesses and family members to pinpoint the exact motive behind the horrific assault.

Local police have issued an appeal to the public, urging anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts to come forward immediately. Authorities have also called for calm within the community, assuring residents that additional personnel have been deployed to ensure local security while the manhunt continues.

Charges of murder are expected to be filed against the suspect as soon as he is taken into custody.