Philippine security forces respond to ambush on BARMM Chief Minister

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has established a special investigation task group to probe an ambush targeting Abdulraof ‘Sammy’ Macacua, the interim Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The attack occurred on August 15 in Maguindanao del Norte when unidentified gunmen opened fire on Macacua’s convoy. No injuries were reported.

Investigators recovered 81 spent cartridges at the scene, including rounds from caliber 5.56 and caliber 7.62 firearms. Authorities are currently treating the attack as a suspected election-related incident, as the BARMM parliamentary elections are scheduled for September 14.

In response to the attack, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has increased checkpoint operations and security deployments to ensure the upcoming polls remain peaceful. The military stated that the incident should not affect the conduct of the elections and emphasized coordination with stakeholders to protect the rights of Bangsamoro citizens to choose their leaders.