COTABATO CITY, Philippinesย โ Around 3,000 residents of South Upi, a highland town in Maguindanao del Surโmany of them belonging to the indigenous Teduray communityโgathered Thursday, May 22, to express support for their detained mayor, who is implicated in last yearโs fatal ambush of the townโs vice mayor.
The rally was held in Barangay Timanan, the town center, where organizers took turns speaking to reporters on the sidelines, insisting that their mayor, Reynalbert Insular, now on his third term, and his wife, Janet, were wrongly accused of masterminding the Aug. 2, 2024, ambush that killed Vice Mayor Roldan Benito and his Teduray aide, Weng Marcos.
Killing of Vice Mayor
Benito and Marcos were traveling in a pickup truck en route to Barangay Pandan from Timanan when gunmen opened fire from a concealed position along the roadside, killing both men instantly. The attack also wounded Benitoโs wife, Analyn, and a student, Joseph Mutia.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional OfficeโBangsamoro Autonomous Region, said Friday, May 23, that Insular and his wife voluntarily surrendered to PRO-BAR and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Tuesday, May 20, after learning that Regional Trial Court Branch 27 in Cotabato City had issued arrest warrants against them.
The couple is now in the custody of CIDGโBAR and is awaiting trial for multiple criminal charges, Macapaz said.
Lacks Sufficient Evidence
Teduray and non-Teduray residents alike have voiced their belief that the murder, attempted murder, and frustrated murder charges filed against the Insulars lack sufficient evidence.
โThe family of our mayor is very close to the family of our slain vice mayor,โ said Moh Armin Kedew, a Teduray farmer who joined the rally.
The late Vice Mayor Benito was widely known for his advocacy against the encroachment of heavily armed, non-Teduray outsiders who were allegedly grabbing ancestral lands in South Upi. Many residents believe that his assassination was linked to this campaign.
Witnesses said the ambush was carried out by gunmen armed with assault rifles, who fled before volunteer community watchmen and village officials from Pandan could respond.
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