Councilor gunned down in his restaurant in Maguindanao del Sur

DAVAO, Philippines – A lone gunman shot and killed a town councilor in Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur, while the victim was tending his small restaurant in front of a government district hospital on Tuesday afternoon, September 17. The victim, identified as Councilor Mohammad Usman Alamada, was declared dead in the hospital. Authorities said he died instantaneously.

The incident occurred around 3 pm on Tuesday, according to Major Cemafranco Cemacio, the town police chief. “Our initial investigation revealed the suspect arrived with a driver, disembarked from a car, approached the victim, who was doing the cashier’s work, and opened fire with an M16 rifle,” Cemacio said in a phone interview. Police are investigating whether the crime was politically motivated, related to a clan feud, or linked to a land dispute.



“We also learned that the victim had mentioned receiving death threats to his loved ones in the past, though they were not detailed,” Cemacio said. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which includes Maguindanao del Sur, is considered a hotspot by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the upcoming elections. The filing of certificates of candidacy will run from October 1 to 8.

In 2023, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group said power struggles in the newly-created Maguindanao political territories could heighten tensions and lead to further conflict in the region. Conflict and deaths have been on the rise in the BARMM over the last three years, raising concerns about a potentially violent 2025 election if the root causes of violence remain unaddressed. The group Conflict Alert also warned that the incidents of conflict spike during election periods, and that violent political competition could rekindle feuds and add to the deadly nature of the upcoming elections in the region.

– Rappler.com.