25 killed in shooting incidents in BARMM amid election firearm ban
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COTABATO CITY — The police and military have intensified the enforcement of the election gun ban in the Bangsamoro region where 25 individuals have been killed in a spate of gun attacks since its implementation throughout the country last January 12.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) covers the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato, where residents keep firearms as "status symbol" and for protection from adversaries.
The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) has recorded 25 deadly gun attacks in the region since January 12.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of PRO-BAR, told reporters on Friday, January 31, that police personnel in the autonomous region, along with units from the military’s Western Mindanao Command under Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, will cooperate to intensify the implementation of the Commission on Elections' gun ban aimed at ensuring peaceful elections in May 2025.
“We have the support of local executives for that security effort,” Macapaz said.
The latest of the 25 fatalities in BARMM-related gun violence since January 12 is businessman Abdulrasa Saidde Madiza, who was killed in an ambush on a busy street in Barangay Malinis, Lamitan City, around dusk on Thursday, January 30.
Madiza was riding his motorcycle on his way home to Barangay Limook in Lamitan City when gunmen attacked him. The suspects escaped amid the chaos caused by the gunshots that rang out at the scene.
Macapaz had told reporters that Maguindanao del Sur had 10 cases of killings since January 12.
He said that in the past 18 days, six people were killed in gun attacks in Maguindanao del Norte, while Basilan and Lanao del Sur each reported five such incidents. Police investigators are still working with local officials to solve these cases.
The Cotabato City Police Office had recorded one fatal shooting incident about two weeks ago. Cotabato City is the seat of the BARMM regional government.
Policemen and members of the Navy’s 5th Marine Battalion are guarding gun ban checkpoints in entry and exit routes connecting Cotabato City to towns in Maguindanao del Norte.
“We are thankful to the local officials and all the community-based peace advocacy groups supporting our election security missions,” Macapaz said.
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