COTABATO CITY โ Tensions and fear gripped Barangay Malingao in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, after armed men torched a health center and seven homes on Mondayโjust days after terrorizing the community with gunfire, forcing residents to flee.
Local officials reported that more than 200 villagers abandoned their homes two days before the attack. The villagers feared for their lives after the same gunmen sprayed their houses with bullets from M16 and M14 rifles.
Authorities suspect the arson was a calculated move to undermine reelectionist Mayor Akmad Ampatuan Sr., who chairs the Shariff Aguak Municipal Peace and Order Council.
Police and military officials are now investigating claims that the attackers are supporters of a rival candidate. The attackers have no links to either the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Both groups have existing peace deals with the government.
โMost of the displaced villagers are identified with the MILF,โ said Vice Mayor Marop Ampatuan, hinting at the deep-seated political and factional tensions fueling the violence.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, assured that intelligence operatives and local police are working together to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
With the elections fast approaching and political rivalries intensifying, residents of Shariff Aguak remain on edge, uncertain whether peace will prevail or if more violence looms on the horizon.
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