COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 5 March) — Less than a month after a kindergarten pupil was killed by a stray bullet in the neighboring town of Datu Piang in Maguindanao del Sur, another young life has been cut short by violence.
Nadia Haron Ebad, a 19-year-old senior high school student, was killed by a stray bullet in Barangay Damatulan, Nabalawag, within the Special Geographic Area (SGA) on Wednesday afternoon, according to Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR).
Police reports indicate that about 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, Ebad was rushing toward the riverbank in Purok 5 to retrieve her belongings in preparation for evacuation.
A gunshot suddenly rang out, striking her near the ear and causing her instantaneous death.
Salanguit stated that investigators are looking into a “spillover” of conflict. The gunfire is believed to have originated from the direction of Barangays Kalipapa and Dado in Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, potentially linked to a harassment incident in Midsayap, North Cotabato, the previous night.
Earlier, lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, Bangsamoro Parliament Deputy Floor Leader, expressed deep disappointment that such violence has persisted.
He said the current “horizontal violence”— conflict between groups in a community — should not be tolerated. “When we entered the peace agreement, there should have been a firm commitment to managing small firearms and the decommissioning process,” Sinarimbo added.
The presence also of high-powered firearms in residential areas in the region has caught the attention of national legislators.
Last month, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has requested an executive session with the Department of National Defense. The inquiry aims to determine why civilians still possess heavy weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades, which the legislator from Bukidnon warned is undermining the region’s hard-won stability.
Maguindanao del Sur Representative Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, vice chair of the House defense committee, urged security forces to take a more aggressive stance.
“This tragedy must not be repeated. I call on our military and police to intensify the implementation of the ‘Balik-Baril’ (Surrender of Firearms) campaign in every community,” he said, stressing that removing illegal firearms is the only way to prevent future loss of life. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
