COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 10 May) – A suspected member of a private armed group was killed, three others were wounded, and seven more were arrested in separate clashes in Maguindanao del Sur as tension rises days before the election, the military said on Saturday.
The first encounter erupted after midnight in Barangay Pandag, Pandag town, involving armed supporters of a barangay chairman identified by authorities as possibly belonging to a private armed group.
They engaged for 90 minutes the group of Morsid Mamalinta, who is also linked to pre-election violence, according to a report shared by Lt Col. Roden Orbon, Joint Task Force Central spokesperson.
“When soldiers from the 1st Mechanized Brigade responded to the exchange of fire at 12:25 a.m., they were fired upon and were forced to return fire. No casualties were reported on the government side,” according to Orbon.
A second clash occurred at 10:05 a.m. on the same day in the same barangay, where soldiers encountered around 15 armed men, triggering a 20-minute gunbattle.
One female senior citizen died after she was hit by a stray bullet.
The military said they recovered three M16 rifles, two Garand rifles, one M653 rifle with a grenade launcher, several magazines, grenades, ammunition, and bandoliers.
BGen Patricio Ruben Amata, assistant division commander of the Joint Task Force Central and head of the government ceasefire monitoring committee, confirmed the incidents.
Amata added that two soldiers were wounded in an encounter with members of the 118th Base Command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Barangay Kuloy, Shariff Aguak town.
“Fortunately, the tense situation was immediately defused after the Quick Response Team of the GPH and MILF CCCH mechanisms were immediately activated,” he said during a press conference of the Independent Election Monitoring Council at the Institute of Autonomy and Governance Office in Notre Dame University in Cotabato City.
CCCH is the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, a body tasked with monitoring compliance with the ceasefire agreement between the government and MILF.
In a separate report, Lt Col Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region said troops from Bravo Company of the 33rd IB PA were conducting a patrol in Barangay Kuloy, Shariff Aguak when armed men allegedly led by Commanders Kipar and Gapor of the MILF 118th Base Command fired at the soldiers from a grassy, elevated area.
This resulted in an exchange of fire that wounded 2Lt Kent Carreon and Corporal Kevin Galanza. They were immediately taken to the 6ID Hospital in Camp Siongco, Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Authorities said clearing operations are ongoing and pursuit operations have been launched against the armed groups.
All nearby municipal police stations have been advised to strengthen checkpoint operations to intercept possible reinforcements from other groups and prevent escalation of violence. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera/MindaNews)