DAVAO CITY (April 27)  — A barangay chairman from a prominent Moro clan and his running mate survived an ambush on Friday, April 25, in Nabalawag, a newly created town in Cotabato province under the Bangsamoro region.
Authorities from the Cotabato Provincial Police Office and the 34th Infantry Battalion said Datu Esmael Tayuan, chairman of Barangay Damatulan and candidate for Nabalawag mayor, was traveling with his team in two vehicles when gunmen opened fire along a road in Barangay Damatulan.
Tayuan, a leading political figure in the town carved out last year by the Bangsamoro Parliament, and his companions, including vice mayoral candidate Sadrudin Guimelon Batang, escaped unharmed.
The attackers fled when volunteer watchmen and village leaders responded quickly to the scene, forcing the assailants to retreat.
Investigators from the Midsayap Municipal Police Station and intelligence agents from the 34th Infantry Battalion are now working to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attack.
The incident highlights the ongoing security challenges in newly established towns within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as it transitions to full autonomy.
