MNLF chief’s son wounded in clash with robbers

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September 26, 2026 | 12:00am

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — A barangay chairman was wounded in an encounter with three robbers in this city on Thursday afternoon.

Wawi Sema suffered a gunshot wound in the neck, and was rushed to the Notre Dame Hospital for treatment.

Sema is a son of Muslimin Sema, chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, and labor and employment minister of the Bangsamoro region.

Cotabato City police chief Col. Jibin Bongayao said Sema, chairman of Barangay Tamontaka, had joined a police pursuit operation for three men who took at gunpoint a motorcycle and phones of Yasmin Dumato and Nila Ibrahim.

The team caught up with the suspects, who drew their guns, triggering a brief firefight that wounded Sema.

The robbers escaped in a white minivan, leaving behind the motorcycle.

Pursuing policemen found the abandoned van in nearby Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte.