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Shariff Aguak town has a history of election-related violence. During the filing of candidacy certificates, a firefight erupted between supporters of rival political groups.
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Gunmen riding tandem on a motorcycle struck in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao del Sur, killing two people and injuring three others, including minors, in the latest attack on Monday night, January 27.
Shariff Aguak has been flagged as an election hotspot by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ahead of the upcoming polls, and the attack showed the difficulties of enforcing the election gun ban in the province, a part of the Bangsamoro region.
The attack, at around 7:35 pm on Sunday, occurred just after a similar incident in the town center of Shariff Aguak, where a Barangay Peace Action Team (BPAT) member and two others were wounded.
The town has a history of election-related violence. During the filing of candidacy certificates in October 2024, a firefight erupted between supporters of rival political groups, resulting in casualties and injuries on both sides.
During the 2023 barangay and youth elections, around 70% of barangays classified as areas of grave security concern in the country were located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In August 2024, the Crisis Group Conflict Alert sounded the alarm over the escalating conflict in the BARMM over the past three years, raising fears of a violent 2025 election if the underlying causes of violence are not addressed. Data from its report, covering 2021-2023, showed a clear upward trend in violence beginning in 2021.
In the latest attack, police said one of the fatalities was a minor, a 17-year-old BPAT member, and 20-year-old Esmail Singh. Both were from the village of Labu-labu in Shariff Aguak.
Another minor, also 17-year-old, along with 20-year-old Anwar Banalan, and Mohamad Hussain, 30, were wounded.
Police said the victims were on duty, keeping an eye on their community, when gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on them.
The attack came less than a week after the January 23 attack that killed BPAT member Rasid Kamid, and wounded two other men. Police said the gunmen also used a motorcycle in staging the attack while the group was on guard duty in Poblacion, Shariff Aguak.
Shariff Aguak Mayor Akmad Ampatuan condemned the attack and vowed justice for the victims, calling the incidents a “challenge to law and order in Shariff Aguak.” – Rappler.com
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