Philippine Mayor Survives Brazen Rocket-Propelled Grenade Ambush in Broad Daylight
Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines (KRNews) — A town mayor in the volatile Bangsamoro region of the southern Philippines survived a daring assassination attempt when armed assailants fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at his convoy in broad daylight, authorities confirmed, in an attack that has reignited concerns about political violence in the region.
Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan Sr., the chief executive of Shariff Aguak — a politically sensitive municipality in Maguindanao del Sur — walked away unscathed after the early-morning ambush on Sunday, local officials said. Two of his security escorts were wounded and are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The frightening incident, captured on closed-circuit television, shows two men disembarking from a gray or white minivan along a busy street in Barangay Poblacion at around 6:30 a.m. One of the attackers is seen lowering an RPG launcher and firing it directly at the mayor’s armored black Toyota Land Cruiser as it drove past.
Attack Caught on Camera, Vehicle Damaged
The CCTV footage, widely circulated on social media by municipal authorities and verified by regional news outlets, shows the rocket blast hitting the mayor’s SUV, prompting a plume of smoke before the vehicle sped away. His backup pickup in the convoy was also struck by gunfire.
Despite the impact, the mayor’s heavily armored vehicle protected him, and he emerged unharmed, officials said. Two of the security personnel riding in the convoy sustained abdominal injuries and were rushed to the Bangsamoro Regional Medical Center for treatment; both are in stable condition.
Suspects Killed in Pursuit
Immediately after the ambush, joint pursuit operations involving the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion were launched. Authorities tracked the fleeing suspects to Barangay Meta in Datu Unsay, where a firefight ensued later that day. Three suspected gunmen were killed in the clash, and their vehicle was recovered.
Police and military officials are still working to identify the slain attackers. State forces recovered high-powered firearms and weapons from the suspects’ vehicle, including the RPG launcher believed to have been used in the attack.
Motive Under Investigation
Investigators have yet to publicly confirm a motive for the attack, but the Philippine National Police are exploring whether local political tensions or revenge dynamics played a role. A special investigation task group has been formed to focus exclusively on the ambush, PNP officials said.
Police Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, the PNP’s public information chief, said authorities are “assessing whether there were security lapses” leading up to the incident and are looking at whether the suspects were “guns-for-hire” hired to carry out the hit.
The ambush marks at least the fourth known attempt on Ampatuan’s life since 2014, including previous ambushes in 2014 and late 2019, both of which left security personnel dead or injured. Officials said previous attempts occurred in politically charged periods, although law enforcement has not directly linked this most recent attack to election-related tensions.
Mayor Demands Greater Security
In the wake of the attack, Mayor Ampatuan has publicly called for enhanced security protection, expressing shock at the firepower used against him and questioning why some of his security detail had been withdrawn prior to the incident. He told reporters he felt “vulnerable” without sufficient escorts and urged police and national authorities to provide additional protective resources.
“This cannot happen again,” he said at a press conference, emphasizing the need for better protection after surviving what he described as a “professional” attack involving military-grade weaponry.
Regional Implications
Shariff Aguak, historically a political hotspot within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has seen sustained episodes of political violence, clan rivalries, and election-period ambushes, reflecting broader challenges in stabilizing governance in the region.
As investigators continue to follow leads, the PNP has heightened alert levels across Maguindanao del Sur and neighboring provinces to deter potential follow-up attacks and reassure residents. A preliminary report from the task force is expected in the coming days. ©️KuryenteNews