Metro Manila, Philippines – The police have identified a person of interest in the ambush on the convoy of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, on Saturday, just a month before the first parliamentary elections.
In a progress report shared by Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia on Tuesday, August 18, municipal police said witnesses saw five men with long firearms in the area hours before the afternoon attack.
The men were in camouflage pants and positioned in different areas of dense grass and elevated terrain. They fired on Macacua’s convoy as it passed. The BARMM official was safe.
A resident identified one of the men as alias “Nico,” whom police now consider a person of interest. The motive remains unknown.
Police said two minors living near the area witnessed the crime and have undergone stress debriefing in the presence of their parents.
The shooting raises fresh security concerns ahead of the first regular election for the 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament, scheduled for Sept. 14, following a number of postponements.
Macacua heads the interim Bangsamoro government as the region prepares to transition from an appointed authority to its first elected parliament. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed him to the post in March 2025, replacing Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.
Malacañang said the president condemned the attack but assured that the first regular Bangsamoro parliamentary elections will proceed as scheduled as part of the transition toward a democratic regional government.
The Comelec has committed to ensuring peaceful polls. In an earlier statement, Garcia said, “Whether this is election related or not, the maintenance of peace and order in the area is of utmost importance.”
