Hired gun eyed in Maguindanao mayor ambush
Authorities are investigating whether the assailants who ambushed Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan Sr. of Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao del Sur, were hired, the Philippine National Police said on Monday.
The probe is being handled by a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) composed of the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro, the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, PNP public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño told reporters at Camp Crame.
“What they’re looking at, what the SITG is zeroing in on, is the possible hiring of the gunman with his relatives,” Tuaño explained.
Police have identified four suspects in the attack, led by a man known as “Rap-rap,” who was seen attacking Ampatuan’s convoy with what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). The other suspects included Rap-rap’s uncle, cousin and a sibling who served as their driver.
Rap-rap reportedly had three prior warrants for his arrest for murder, robbery by band and violating a Commission on Elections gun ban.
The ambush occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, along the road in Barangay Poblacion, Shariff Aguak. Two of the mayor’s security personnel were slightly injured, while three suspects were killed in a hot pursuit along the national highway, according to Ampatuan’s executive assistant, Anwar Kuit Emblawa. Police continue to pursue the fourth suspect, the driver.
“For now, we’re assessing whether there were security lapses on the part of the local police stations,” Tuaño added. “If there were lapses, these would be subjected to administrative proceedings.”
Condemnation
Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Ali Midtimbang strongly condemned the attempt against the life of Ampatuan, expressing alarm over the brazenness of the attackers.
“While we are thankful that Mayor Mitra was unharmed, this incident is deeply alarming and will not be treated lightly,” Midtimbang said. “We are deeply concerned by the brazenness of this attack, which occurred in a residential area and put the lives of civilians at risk,” he stressed. “Violence, intimidation and lawlessness will not be tolerated in the province,” he added.
Maj. Gen. Vladimir Cagara, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and chief of Joint Task Force Central, commended soldiers and police for their “swift, decisive and coordinated response following the mayor’s ambush.”
“The rapid establishment of strategic checkpoints significantly constrained the movement of perpetrators, preventing them from causing further harm to civilians,” Cagara said.
“It demonstrated the effectiveness of the joint security operations,” he added.
Cagara assured the public that the situation in Shariff Aguak was under control and that all necessary measures were being undertaken to bring the remaining perpetrators to justice.
No known enemies
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ampatuan said he had no known enemies and was puzzled as to why many wanted him dead.
Ampatuan said that he had already survived four ambuscades, including last Sunday’s attack inside his bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser.
After the attack, Ampatuan, still wearing black jogging pants and a white sando, emerged from his vehicle while his security escorts pursued the suspects.
He believes that the four separate attempts on his life may be connected.
“Maybe it’s all the same, but I also don’t know who’s behind it,” Ampatuan said.
A brief running gun battle involving Ampatuan’s escorts, police and the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion troopers ensued. Three men were later found dead in a minivan in Barangay Meta, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao del Sur.
Police Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman, regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), identified the slain suspects as Budtong Pendatun, previously referred to as Rap-Rap; Teks Pendatu; and Alias “Puasa,” all residents of Barangay Meta, Datu Unsay.
Police also recovered an RPG launcher and a rifle from the minivan, which was captured on CCTV during the attack on Ampatuan.
President Marcos also denounced the attempt on the life of Ampatuan, with the political violence surfacing two months before the long-delayed first-ever Bangsamoro parliament election.
“The President condemns this incident. He has immediately ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the PNP to maintain the peace and order situation in the BARMM,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Monday.
Castro also called on Filipinos in the region to immediately report to authorities any unusual or suspicious activities “so that you can be given appropriate protection.”
The failed assassination on Ampatuan came just a few days after Mr. Marcos visited the region’s de facto capital of Cotabato City, to lead the celebration of the BARMM’s founding anniversary.
“My fellow Filipinos, we must stand as guardians of the progress that we have made through peace. Let us always choose unity and cooperation over division,” he said in his speech on Jan. 21. —REPORTS FROM DREMA QUITAYEN BRAVO, EDWIN O. FERNANDEZ, JASON SIGALES, AND DEXTER CABALZA
