MILF to help investigate Lanao del Sur governor ambush
MANILA, Philippines — The Bangsamoro government said former rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would aid in investigating the ambush which wounded Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong in Maguing last Friday, an attack which killed four of his escorts.
According to reports, the area was just around 1.5 kilometers away from the MILF.
"There is already a direction that the senior commanders of the MILF and the peace mechanisms of the MILF... will convene tonight," Local Government Minister of Bangsamoro
Naguib Sinarimbo told a press conference in a mix of Filipino and English on Saturday.
"The agreement is to heed the call of the chief minister [of the Bangsamoro Murad Ebrahim] to extend full cooperation in the investigation," Sinarimbo added.
Sinarimbo said that Interior Benhur Abalos got in touch with him on Saturday morning to look at how to bring together all parties to ensure the proper identification of the perpetrators.
It could be remembered that MILF's armed-wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, announced years ago the disarming of thousands of their fighters after the passing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law that created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which gave more autonomy to Muslims in the region.
"It's important that everyone who is is here contributes to the identification of the identities of the perpetuators," continued Sinarimbo.
"We still coudn't say who they are... For now, the most immediate [thing to do] is to allow the investigation to take its natural course," he added.
Adiong's convoy was reportedly attacked at around 3:38 p.m. in a secluded and rough stretch of highway connecting Maguing to Wao town. Motives behind the attack are still unclear as of press time.
Members of a group allegedly fashioned after the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria are suspected of carrying out the attack, based on initial reports from the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office (PPO).
Nationwide condemnation
Various human rights advocates and national officials have already condemned the said ambush, with Vice President Sara Duterte calling it a "cowardly act of violence" against her Lakas-CMD partymate.
"As a nation, we should collectively reject this cowardly act of violence and demand that the perpetrators are immediately brought to justice," Duterte, who is also the chairperson of Lakas-CMD, said in a statement.
"I commiserate with the bereaved families of the four security escorts of Gov. Adiong who died in the ambush. I pray for the speedy recovery of Gov. Adiong and the other injured person," she added.
Adiong is the vice president of Lakas-CMD for the BARMM.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Commissioner Faydah M. Dumarpa likewise slammed the incident, saying the action further undermines the country's quest for peace and stability.
"As a fellow Maranao and Mindanaoan, I condemn the ambush in Maguing, Lanao del Sur yesterday, 17 February 2023, that killed [four] and injured [two] people," she said.
"Violence such as this does not achieve anything except to undermine our nation's quest for sustainable peace and stability, especially in Mindanao. I pray that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice," she added.
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