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John Unson - Philstar.com
May 5, 2026 | 6:18pm
The policeman killed in a clash in Buadiposo-Buntong town, Lanao del Sur, with a group led by three wanted persons was a member of the Special Action Force unit assigned to the province.
Photo courtesy of Philstar.com / John Unson
COTABATO CITY — The governor of Lanao del Sur has offered a cash reward for any information on the whereabouts of three wanted men who killed a policeman and wounded four others during a law enforcement operation in Buadiposo-Buntong town on Monday morning, May 4.
Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. has ordered local executives in Buadiposo-Buntong to assist units of the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) in restoring normalcy in Barangay Catogonan, following a deadly clash between police and armed suspects on Monday morning, May 4.
Adiong also directed intensified efforts to locate Sukair Diongcat, Alex Acraman Diongkat, and Paiz Diongkat, who are now the subject of a manhunt. The governor likewise offered a cash incentive for information on their whereabouts.
Police Capt. Steffie Salanguit, spokesperson of PRO-BAR, and Col. Ceasar Cabuhat, Lanao del Sur provincial police director, said the suspects and their companions opened fire at police officers who were serving arrest warrants in Barangay Catogonan, triggering a gunfight.
The encounter resulted in the death of Cpl. Kelvin Francisco of the 41st Special Action Company of the 4th Special Action Battalion.
Salanguit and local officials separately confirmed that four other policemen, including a police captain, were wounded and are now confined at Amai Pakpak Hospital in Marawi City.
PRO-BAR officials and local executives said the Diongkats were wanted for murder and multiple murder cases pending before a court in the Bangsamoro region.
Authorities said the suspects and their armed companions escaped after they noticed the approach of additional SAF commandos and combined police units from the Buadiposo-Buntong Municipal Police Station and other PRO-BAR units, supported by armored vehicles.
Cabuhat said the suspects are now the subject of an extensive manhunt operation supported by local government units in Lanao del Sur and the office of Gov. Adiong, who also chairs the provincial peace and order council.
