Violence rears ugly head in BARMM
COTABATO CITY—Violence continues to rear its ugly head in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with just a month before the official start of local campaigning for the midterm elections.
After the failed attempt to kill Vice Mayor Mohammad Omar Samama of Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, two gun attacks were carried out in Cotabato City on Tuesday and in Lanao del Sur on Wednesday, further worsening an already fragile security situation.
On Wednesday morning, Abdulazis Aloyodan, 60, former mayor of Lumbaca-Unayan in Lanao del Sur, was standing in front of his house near the municipal hall in Barangay Oriental Beta when a pickup truck arrived around 7:30 a.m.
Unidentified gunmen alighted and immediately opened fire on Aloyodan, according to a report by Cpl. Samad Disomangcop, Lumbaca-Unayan police investigator.
Aloyodan died while being taken by relatives to a hospital in Malabang town. Lumbaca-Unayan Mayor Jamalia Aloyodan, who is seeking reelection against eight other candidates, said her husband, the former mayor, had no known enemies and had already retired from politics.
Police found at least nine empty shells for .45-caliber pistol and M16 rifle at the crime scene.
Col. Robert Daculan, Lanao del Sur police director, had ordered a pursuit operation against the suspects.
Persons of interest
On Tuesday, an engineering faculty member of Notre Dame University (NDU) was ambushed in Barangay Rosary Heights 3 in Cotabato City at 6 p.m.
Engineer Israel Angas, 29, was driving his Toyota Fortuner on his way home when waylaid by motorcycle-riding suspects. Footage from a closed circuit television camera showed how a gunman, aboard a motorcycle from the opposite lane, shot Angas several times along the busy Notre Dame Avenue, a few meters away from the university.
Angas was hit in the head and body, and was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
“We have four persons of interest, riding in separate motorbikes, as seen in the footage. For now, two of them have been identified,” said Col. Jibin Bongcayao, city police director.
Bongcayao said initial investigation showed that the attack could be fueled by a financial transaction.
“We are profoundly shocked, heartbroken and outraged by the cold-blooded and senseless killing of engineer Angas, and this heinous act of violence is not only a grievous loss to our academic community but also an affront to the sanctity of life and the values of humanity we hold dear,” NDU said in an official statement.
“We call upon the authorities to act swiftly and decisively to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice and let this not become another unresolved case in the growing list of senseless violence in our country,” it added.
Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao has directed the city police to intensify manhunt operations against the perpetrators.
“We are appealing to all village officials to always be on the lookout and help the city government and the police in securing the city,” Matabalao said.
Despite gun ban
Prior to the killing of Aloyodan and Angas, the Inquirer had already counted at least 90 attacks throughout the region since the start of the election gun ban on Jan. 12.
Earlier, the nongovernment group Climate Conflict Action warned of rising incidence of violence in the BARMM in the run-up to the midterm elections.
It saw the upcoming political exercise as adding another layer of complications to a social situation already prone to violence, such as disputes over land, the rebirth of violent extremism in parts of the region, and the persistence of illegal trade, especially on drugs and guns.
On Tuesday, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil presided over a special meeting of political leaders in the BARMM, in an effort to seek their cooperation to keep the upcoming elections peaceful.
