COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 8 June)—A barangay captain here survived another attempt on his life but one of his aides died and four others were wounded in the ambush Friday night.
Policemen arrive at the ambush area in Cotabato City Friday night (7 June 2024), but the suspects have already fled by then. MindaNews photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA
The target of the ambush along Mabini Street in Barangay Bagua 3 was Edris Ayunan, of Barangay Kalanganan 2, but he managed to escape the melee, according to his brother Lily, who is also barangay chair in Barangay Mother Bagua in this city.
Bagua’s van was mangled with bullets coming from high-powered firearms and pistols.
The police’s scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) documented around 120 slugs and unfired shells, including two suppressors (silencers) believed to be from the attackers, scattered all over the ambush area.
Adam Guiamad, Cotabato City public and safety officer, said the incident took before 8 p.m. on Friday night where one got killed and four others are wounded.
“Two of the those wounded sent to the hospital were severely wounded,” he said.
Bagua’s wounded aides were identified as Amal Mascot, Tango Palolod, Michael Avila and Akmad Guimba.
Lili Ayunan said that his brother visited his wife in Bagua 3, then ambushed while on their way out.
A few days before the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in October last year, Edris Ayunan lost his son Al Farr, who was also running for barangay councilor in Kalanganan 2, in a gun battle in what police labeled as election-related violence. Two others in Ayunan’s camp died in the in shootout in Barangay Rosary Heights 12.
Edris Ayunan attempted to rescue his son and associates, but he too was trapped in a rain of bullets from the opposing camp.
In last Friday’s incident, a silver minivan believed to be the vehicle used by the suspects was found abandoned in the intersection of Narra and Kabuntalan Streets in Barangay Rosary Heights 3, around three kilometers away from the ambush site.
The vehicle of barangay captain Edris Ayunan peppered with bullets in the ambush in Cotabato City Friday night (7 June 2024). MindaNews photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA
The minivan, which has three bullet holes in the front windshield, was left behind with its engine still running. A pistol was left inside the van.
A government ID was later found inside the van by the authorities, and the owner is now subject of the police’s investigation.
Cotabato Mayor Bruce Matabalao has ordered the Philippine National Police, with the help of the Criminal Investigation Group in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (CIDG-BAR), to conduct in-depth investigation regarding the incident.
In his Facebook post Saturday morning, the mayor asked his constituents to remain calm.
“It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the recent incidents of violence that have shaken our community. I understand the fear and concern these events have caused, and I want to assure you that these feelings are shared by all of us,” he said in a statement.
Vice Mayor Joharie “Butch” Abu expressed his condemnation on the attack against his allies in the Serbisyong Ingklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo (SIAP) party.
“These are not just simple attacks on particular individuals, but a gross violation of the principles of peace and justice intended to instill fear among us. We call upon our authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Abu said.
Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, former head of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and now president of the SIAP party in Cotabato City, said: “We are saddened for the lack of security in the city that caused the series of killing and atrocities here.”
He added that the government apparently has “no control” over the peace and order situation in the city. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
