COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) was blamed for Saturday’s murder here of an Army intelligence agent in an attack that left the victim’s companion badly wounded.
The slain plainclothes operative, Private 1st Class Denver Maguate, and his mission buddy, Aldrin Junsay, also of the same rank, were riding a motorcycle together en route to Maguindanao province when they were attacked from behind by gunmen also riding a bike in tandem.
Maguate died on the spot from gunshot wounds in the head while the wounded Junsay, who was hit in different parts of his body, was rushed by responding barangay folks to a nearby hospital.
BIFF bandits had killed 16 off duty motorcycle-riding soldiers and policemen in one attack after another in nearby towns in the adjoining North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces in the past eight months.
Maguate and Junsay both belong to the Army’s 11th Mechanized Company of the 1st Mechanized Battalion.
They were attacked while at a portion of the busy Sinsuat Avenue here, near the city hall, on their way to the Army’s Camp Siongco in nearby Datu Odin town in Maguindanao.
The city police had said investigators are yet to determine the culprits and their motive for the attack.
Intelligence sources on Tuesday said there were strong indications the suspects were members of the BIFF.