PNP imposes ‘gun ban’

POLICE are pursuing several “persons of interest” (POIs) in a deadly ambush in Maguing, Lanao del Sur, which killed three officers and a driver and wounded Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. and one of his staff and prompted the suspension of all gun permits in the province as well as Lanao del Sur and parts of North Cotabato.

According to Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo, the names of the POIs have been mentioned by witnesses and the survivors of the deadly attack.

“Those names are already being subjected to a thorough validation so that criminal charges could be filed against them if evidence warrants,” the official said.

Fajardo did not name names, although she said that investigators from the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Administrative Region (PRO-BARMM) under Brigadier Gen. John G. Guyguyon are already following-up “good leads” that could help them identify and arrest the gunmen and their “brains.”

Guyguyon said they are validating reports that at least ten armed men were behind the attack.

The incident prompted PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. to order the indefinite suspension of Permits-to-Carry-Firearms-Outside-of-Residence or PTCFORs in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and 63 barangays in North Cotabato which the PRO-BARMM described as “Special Geographic Areas.”

The suspension of the PTCFORs issued to licensed gun-holders in those areas started last Saturday, with all local police units instructed to check persons roaming around with firearms and other weapons.

PTCFOR holders who will be found carrying their licensed guns in the three regions will be arrested and charged for violation of the Republic Act (RA) 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Act of 2013.

Azurin said they have to impose the “gun ban” in the three regions to prevent an escalation of firearm-related violence.

On Saturday, combined troops from the Armed Forces and the PNP pressed their hunt for the gunmen who waylaid the victims along a highway in Barangay Dilimbayan in Maguing, Lanao del Sur, around 4 p.m. Friday.

Police said that the suspects fired their automatic rifles at the two vehicles bearing the governor and his escorts, who were then on their way to Wao municipality.

As a result, Gov. Adiong and his staff, Ali Macapado Tabao, were injured and taken to a local hospital in Kalilangan, Bukidnon, for treatment under heavy guard.

The governor was struck by a bullet on the right part of the waist, while Tabao was shot in his feet.

Killed in the attack were Police Staff Sergeant Mohammad Adiong; Corporal Johani Sumandar, 39; Cpl. Jalil Coasin, 40; and their civilian driver identified only as “Kobi.”

Adiong and Cosain are both Marawi City residents, while Sumandar is from Piagapo, Lanao del Sur.

Adiong and Coasin are both assigned to the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office headquarters, while Sumandar is a member of the Marawi City Police Station.

A brother of the governor, Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, said the former is already in “very stable condition” and the “worst has passed.”

“He’s out of danger. We are heartbroken over the deaths of his security details, all of whom are family members who were with my brother during the violent attack. We offer our deepest sympathies to all of our bereaved loved ones,” the lawmaker said.

The Alonto family called on authorities “to utilize all legal means available to pursue and bring the perpetrators to justice.”