Maranao peace activist killed in Lanao del Sur ambush

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March 20, 2026 | 5:08pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Gunmen killed a Maranao man, known for his overt support for the joint peace and security programs of their local government unit and the police, in a daytime ambush in Barangay Punud in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur on Thursday, March 19.

Officials of the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office and Capt. Steffie Salanguit, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, separately told reporters on Friday that the 59-year-old Jamail Mindalano, an ethnic Maranao, was driving his green Toyota Revo when he was attacked by gunmen at a stretch of the Secretary Narciso Ramos Highway in Barangay Punud in Calanogas.

Mindalano, a resident of Barangay Curahab in Malabang, Lanao del Sur, was on his way to Marawi City when the incident occurred, according to barangay officials and investigators from the Calanogas Municipal Police Station who responded to the incident.

Villagers had reported to police probers who inspected the crime scene that one of the assailants of Mindalano is a certain Mamalo, now the subject of a police manhunt.

Mamalo and his companions immediately escaped after they shot Mindalano dead with pistols, according to witnesses

Traditional Maranao leaders in Lanao del Sur had told reporters that the victim was known for his extensive support for the joint law-enforcement operations of their local executives and the police in his hometown, Malabang, and in nearby municipalities in the province.