Ominous prognosis for May 12 in BARMM (1)
Cotabato City—Here in the seat of government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and its nearby areas, the election fever seems to be at a convulsive level, with violent incidents happening with unnerving frequency.
On March 28, an ambush killed a couple in Barangay Makir, in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte province. Maceda Abo and her husband, Jojo, were in their family car on their way to the workstation of Maceda, who was recently appointed provincial Commission on Elections (Comelec) officer for Maguindanao del Norte. Both died on the spot. Many questions were raised on why this violent incident occurred despite the gun ban that is in place in view of the election campaign period.
Consequently, the Comelec regional office has appealed to the leadership of the Philippine National Police to relieve the director of the PNP regional office for BARMM for failure to ensure adequate protection for motorists along the Maguindanao-to-Cotabato highway. Why was a van filled with Armalite- or M16 rifle-bearing assassins not inspected? Several checkpoints are strategically located along this highway, and those who are deployed there are duty-bound to inspect motorists to ensure they are not carrying firearms as required by the Comelec gun ban.
The March 28 ambush was not an isolated incident. On April 14, 2025, another ambush took place along the same highway in Barangay Brar, in Datu Anggal Midtimbang town in Maguindanao del Sur (just adjacent to Maguindanao del Norte). The victim, who survived, is a candidate for board member of Maguindanao del Sur. The victim claims it was a threat to prevent him from pursuing his candidacy.
I was traveling to Cotabato City that day, and a few minutes after this happened, our car passed through the ambush site. I noticed that we were the only motorists who first saw the ambushed van; we missed the actual crime by around three minutes. Our driver noticed bullet holes on the side of the van and decided to speed off quickly. He said we needed to be as far away from that site as possible immediately to avoid being caught in a crossfire if the victims’ relatives started a firefight with the escaping group of ambushers.
On April 5, a female nurse was shot in the arm while disembarking from a car that had brought her home in Cotabato City. While it was not a fatal shot, it sent shivers to the neighborhood in the area, considered to be the residential area of the city’s elite. It also became a traumatic experience for the victim. As of this writing, local police authorities are investigating the motives behind the shooting. This may not be related to the political violence here, but because it occurred during the crucial campaign season, locals are gripped by fear that they could also be targeted, even if they are not candidates for electoral posts, like the nurse.
In Lanao del Sur province, a barangay chairperson was killed four days later, on April 9. Binhar Julambre Alon Jawad of Barangay Baraas in Picong town was fatally shot by still unidentified assailants while on his way to attend the graduation ceremonies of his son.
On April 19, three hand grenades were lobbed near the municipal hall of Buluan, the capital town of Maguindanao del Sur, wounding a resident of a barangay in Mangudadatu municipality in the province. One grenade exploded inside the municipal hall compound and damaged a car parked there. A witness claimed that the grenade blasts were intended to hurt the chairperson of Barangay Poblacion, a relative of the current political leaders in the province.
Last April 24, the whole city was rocked by the news that the Comelec had declared the former mayor of Cotabato City, Attorney Cynthia J. Guiani, the winner in the 2022 mayoral elections. In that year, Guiani’s strong opponent, Mohammad “Bruce” Matabalao, had been declared mayor by the Comelec. The latter is the mayoral bet of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, the political party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, whose leaders are now the top leaders in the BARMM.
Supporters of Matabalao that day were reportedly poised to do whatever was needed to prevent any possible “takeover” of the city hall by Guiani’s supporters. Matabalao’s group was also prepared to assert the implementation of the Comelec order. Tension was quite palpable, and everyone, especially those of us in the development assistance program supporting the BARMM, had to stay home to avoid being caught in a possible show of force by both protagonists.
(More next week)
