COTABATO CITY — Fears of a new rido or clan war surfaced following Tuesday’s murder of an aspiring barangay chairman in Malingao, a village under the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Midsayap town.
Police and military officials told BusinessWorld on Wednesday that solving the fatal shooting of Haron S. Dimalanis will not be easy since the area might be located in Region 12, but is under the jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). They have received reports that there are families in Barangay Malingao against his candidacy.
Authorities, worried that Mr. Dimalanis’ killing would set off a series of violent attacks, urged relatives of the aspiring Moro leader to help put closure to his death and avoid a bloody clan war.
In another development still in Midsayap, another aspiring barangay chairman, along with his three companions, was arrested by police for alleged illegal possession of firearms. The guns found in their vehicle on Tuesday night were in violation of the election gun ban. — John Felix M. Unson
