COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — The military has placed its troops in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur on heightened alert following two separate grenade attacks as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) classified 27 areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) under the red category ahead of the region’s first parliamentary elections on Sept. 14.
The grenade attacks occurred on Saturday, the third day of the election gun ban, leaving two soldiers and three civilians wounded.
Lt. Col. Ronald Suscano, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said all military units in the two Maguindanao provinces had been placed on heightened alert following the incidents.
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He said the military would continue intensified security operations as the campaign period runs from July 30 to Sept. 12, while the election gun ban remains in effect until Sept. 29.
‘Sow fear’
Suscano said the attacks appeared intended to “sow fear” and undermine peace and order in the region.
“Their motive is clearly to disrupt the peace and order situation in the two Maguindanao provinces,” he said.
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At 7:50 p.m. on Saturday, a man riding a motorcycle allegedly threw a hand grenade into the detachment of Charlie Company, 7th Infantry Battalion, in Barangay Macaguiling, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte. No one was injured in the blast.
Earlier that day, two motorcycle-riding suspects hurled a hand grenade at an Army convoy passing through Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur.
A video released by the Police Regional Office-BARMM showed the suspects cutting through the convoy before dropping the explosive onto the road and fleeing toward Shariff Saydona Mustapha town.
The second Army truck swerved to avoid the blast, but two soldiers sustained shrapnel wounds. Three civilians in the area were also injured.
Maj. Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, condemned the attacks.
“This senseless act of violence resulted in the wounding of two soldiers and three civilians, further demonstrating the complete disregard of the perpetrators for human life and public safety,” Cagara said.
The attacks came as Comelec placed 27 BARMM areas under the red category, indicating serious security concerns ahead of the Sept. 14 parliamentary polls.
Another 27 areas were classified under the orange category, which also indicates serious threats. These include 14 areas in Maguindanao del Sur, five in Lanao del Sur, three each in Maguindanao del Norte and the Special Geographic Area and two in Basilan.
The yellow category, covering areas with a history of election-related incidents, includes 14 areas in Lanao del Sur, nine in Maguindanao del Norte, seven in Maguindanao del Sur, five in Basilan and four in the Special Geographic Area.
Meanwhile, 15 areas were placed under the green category, indicating no security concerns. These include 11 in Tawi-Tawi and four in Basilan.
No widespread threat
On July 16, the first day of the election gun ban, a municipal councilor from Kadayangan in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area was shot dead in neighboring Midsayap, Cotabato province, which is outside BARMM.
Despite the recent attacks, the Philippine National Police said it has not monitored any widespread security threat since the implementation of the election gun ban.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police checkpoints enforcing the gun ban have been established from July 16 to Sept. 29.
A total of 8,299 police personnel have been deployed for the elections, including 4,983 from the Police Regional Office-BARMM, 1,316 from national support units, and 2,000 from other police regional offices. /cb
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