MAGUINDANAO del Norte— Interim Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy” Macacua escaped unharmed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on his convoy along the General Santos-Cotabato National Highway in Barangay Bitu, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, at around 4:50 p.m. Saturday.
Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) said Macacua was traveling to Cotabato City from Barangay Gambar, where he had attended a gathering and taken his oath as a member of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) before formally assuming its chairmanship.
Police said the gunmen fired at the convoy as it passed through Barangay Bitu. Macacua and his companions were not hurt.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) were deployed to process the area and collect possible evidence. Police are investigating the identities of the gunmen and the motive behind the attack.
The incident drew condemnation from the Cotabato City government, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and BFP, all of which called for a thorough investigation.
Macacua takes BFP leadership
The shooting occurred shortly after a leadership transition within the BFP, with Bangsamoro Parliament Member Tomando Antok relinquishing the party chairmanship to Macacua following the Chief Minister’s oath-taking.
The change comes as the BFP strengthens its political base across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and prepares for the region’s first parliamentary elections on September 14.
The party is expected to challenge the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political organization associated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Macacua had earlier filed his candidacy through an emissary on May 7 as an independent candidate for a parliamentary seat covering adjoining areas of Cotabato City and Maguindanao del Norte.
With his assumption of the BFP chairmanship, Macacua will now lead the party into the parliamentary elections.
He said he would work to make the BFP an effective vehicle for promoting peace, cultural and interfaith solidarity, and political tolerance among Muslim, Christian, and Indigenous communities in the Bangsamoro.
