Gunman kills councilor-elect in Maguindanao del Sur

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The United Bangsamoro Justice Party, the MILF's political arm, denounces the killing of its member

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A councilor-elect was shot dead in broad daylight in Maguindanao del Sur on Wednesday, the latest in a series of violent incidents following the May 12 elections.

Thong Mamasalanao Asim, 56, a newly elected municipal councilor of Datu Piang town, was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital after being gunned down around 3 pm near his home in Barangay Poblacion, police said.

According to an initial report by the Datu Piang Municipal Police Station, the lone gunman, described as wearing black shorts, a black jacket, and glasses, fled the scene in an unknown direction. Investigators recovered seven spent .45-caliber bullet casings and two deformed slugs from the crime scene.

Asim was a member of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which denounced the killing.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the cowardly attack on our colleague,” said Ustadz Hisham Nando, UBJP’s provincial chief and the newly elected vice governor of Maguindanao del Sur. “This violence has no place in a democratic society. We urge authorities to thoroughly investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable.”

Police have not yet disclosed a possible motive.

In a separate incident, a village official and his son abducted from their home in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, have returned home after being released by their captors.

Barangay councilor Esmael Lindongan Manap and his son Arham were taken from their home in Barangay Malingao on Tuesday evening, May 27, while preparing for prayers, according to police. 

Lieutenant Colonel Jopy Ventura of the Bangsamoro police regional office said armed men believed to be led by members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the MILF’s 118th Base Command were believed to be behind the abduction.

The victims were reportedly returned on Wednesday with the assistance of the military, local police, and the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), said town Vice Mayor-elect Hadji Oping Ampatuan. Both victims sustained bruises, allegedly from being beaten during captivity.

The incidents added to concerns over post-election unrest in the Bangsamoro region. Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), in a report, said it documented dozens of election-related violent incidents across the region and its Special Geographic Areas.

Intimidation, coercion, and show of force from rival political camps were widespread, especially in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, and Sulu.

Dickson Hermoso, a retired colonel and security adviser to the Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC), a civil society-led initiative, said some groups employed private armed men to harass opponents and influence results.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a region still transitioning from decades of conflict to self-governance, has seen repeated election-related violence in past years, often fueled by clan rivalries and the proliferation of armed groups. – Rappler.com