Violence erupts in Maguindanao del Norte

Inquirer files

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Amid an intensified campaign against loose firearms in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), five people, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed in just hours in separate gun attacks in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, on Sunday.

Police Lt. Col. Samuel Roy Subsuban, Datu Odin Sinsuat police chief, said the first incident occurred at 7 a.m. in the town’s public market when a security guard shot dead 16-year-old tricycle driver Abdulrahim Mangundatu.

The attacker, Al Rashid Untong, a security guard of a telecommunications tower, fled after the shooting but he was stopped by a certain Nasser Halid. Untong then shot Halid. The relatives of Halid gave chase and also shot Untong dead.

READ: Clashes in Maguindanao del Norte island leave 7 armed men dead

Four hours later, in nearby Sitio Recto of the same town, two more people died in another shooting incident.

A certain Suharto Antong was irked and shot Solayman Maulana after the latter told him that he was out of tune while he was singing at a videoke machine. But equally armed, the injured Maulana fired back and hit Antong.

Neighbors and relatives rushed them to the hospital, where an attending physician declared them dead due to the gunshot wounds they incurred in the head and body.

Intensified campaign

The shootings came amid efforts of the Bangsamoro government to intensify campaigns against loose firearms in the region.

Earlier this month, some 80 loose firearms were surrendered to the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, which has jurisdiction over the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and parts of North Cotabato and Sarangani.

At least 18 assorted firearms and a 60 mm mortar tube from civilians and local officials were also turned over to the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion in Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte, on Oct. 2.

Talitay Mayor Sidik Amiril said the move reflected their desire for peace and stability in their communities, ahead of next year’s midterm elections, where Bangsamoro voters will elect the members of the BARMM parliament for the first time.

“It is better to hand over these firearms to the government than risk them falling into the hands of lawless elements,” Amiril said.

“This is a show of support from local officials for the government’s campaign against loose firearms under the Small Arms and Light Weapons Management Program,” said Lt. Col. Jerome Peñalosa, commander of the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Battalion.

Peñalosa said they got seven more firearms, including a 60-mm mortar tube, from local officials in Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Maguindanao del Sur, during a turnover ceremony at the municipal covered court on Oct. 2.

The town mayor, Mary Joy Stephanie Uy-Midtimbang, has stressed that “the surrender of these guns is crucial to our efforts to achieve lasting peace, where people no longer need to carry or possess firearms.”

Also on Oct. 2, civilians from Barangay Rosary Heights 5 turned in three firearms to the 5th Marine Battalion Landing Team in Cotabato City.