State security forces have been directed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to launch a full investigation following a firearm attack on the convoy of Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua in Maguindanao del Norte.
Authorities are currently evaluating whether the violence is connected to the region’s upcoming poll exercise.
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia instructed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to track down the assailants without delay and ensure they face legal consequences.
”With the recent development in the BARMM, we are directing the PNP and the AFP to immediately determine the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Garcia stated.
”Whether this is election related or not, the maintenance of peace and order in the area is of utmost importance,” he adde
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The attack occurred during ongoing campaign activities, less than a month before the maiden regular Bangsamoro parliamentary elections scheduled for September 14. Prior to the incident, the electoral body—alongside the PNP, AFP, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU)—had publicly pledged to safeguard the historic polls and guarantee a fear-free voting environment.
Garcia emphasized that law enforcement officials must leave no stone unturned throughout the investigation process, while maintaining strict adherence to constitutional rights and the rule of law.
According to local officials in Cotabato City, Macacua had been attending a general assembly for the Bangsamoro Federalist Party in Barangay Gambar, Kabuntalan earlier that day. During the gathering, he took his official oath before Member of Parliament Tomanda Antok and was formally named party president and chairman.
The convoy was returning toward Cotabato City when unknown gunmen opened fire in Barangay Dulangan, Datu Odin Sinsuat.
Investigators have not yet named suspects or established a definitive motive behind the ambush.