BARMM chief’s convoy ambushed

AMBUSH. Photo shows one of the vehicles in the convoy of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua thay were hit by bullets in an ambush along the national highway in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte Saturday afternoon. (Courtesy: Tammy Macacua)

OTABATO CITY — Gunmen fired at the convoy of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua on Saturday, less than a month before the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliament election.

Macacua and his team were unharmed after the ambush on their armored vehicles that happened at 4:45 p.m. along the national highway in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

The group came from an event of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) in Kabuntalan where Macacua was officially elected as party chairman.

The convoy was able to proceed to the Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City.

Macacua is seeking a seat in the Bangsamoro parliament as representative of the third district of Maguindanao del Norte.

Commission Elections Chairman George Garcia said he had directed the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in BARMM “to immediately determine the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

“Whether this is election related or not, the maintenance of peace and order in the area is of utmost importance,” he said.

“No stone should be left untouched just to ensure that the trust and confidence of the people will remain,” Garcia added.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) strongly condemned the attack.

“We are relieved that Chief Minister Macacua and members of his delegation are safe. We call on everyone to remain calm, refrain from speculation or assigning responsibility, and allow the proper authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. Those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with the law,” OPAPRU Secretary Mel Sarmiento said.

“As the Bangsamoro approaches an important political exercise, all stakeholders share a responsibility to help ensure an environment where all political parties, candidates, supporters, and voters can participate freely and safely…We urge everyone to exercise restraint and respect the rule of law. No individual or group should take the law into their own hands or allow political differences, anger, or unverified information to create further tension or violence. The investigation must be allowed to establish the facts independently and objectively,” he added.

In a statement, the BFP said: “This brazen act of violence is not only an attack against the chief minister; but against the peace, democratic order and stability that the Bangsamoro people have fought and sacrificed for over many decades.”

“We call on the law enforcement authorities to conduct swift and impartial investigation and bring to justice not only those who carried out the attack, but everyone who planned, ordered finance, or enabled it,” the BFP added.

Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao also condemned the ambush.

“Any attack that places lives in danger is deeply troubling and has no place in the Bangsamoro,” he said in a statement.

A day before the ambush, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election on Sept. 14 will be the culmination of decades-long peace efforts.

“That is why the elections in September are so important for the development of Muslim Mindanao,” President Marcos said during a luncheon hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

The President said he has great confidence in the region because former secessionist fighters who were literally in the mountains fighting government forces are now out there campaigning to be members of the Bangsamoro Parliament. — Nash B. Maulana & Rex Espiritu