Gunmen shot dead on Monday a town councilor in the southern Philippines, local police said.

The victim, Boy Alba, town councilor of Pikit, North Cotabato Province, was heading to the municipal hall around 8 a.m. when motorcycle-riding men opened fire at him along the national highway in the village of Batolawan, said local police chief Elias Dandan.

Dandan said Alba, who sustained several gun shot wounds in his stomach and chest, was supposed to attend flag raising ceremony when he was attacked.

"He was rushed to hospital but he died upon arrival," the police official said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Local police were trying to identify the attackers and their possible motives.