Basilan Mayor Faces Murder Raps Over 2025 Poll Attack

State prosecutors in the Bangsamoro region have recommended the filing of criminal cases against Arsina Kahing Nanoh, the mayor of Hadji Muhtamad in Basilan province, along with her husband Nadz Nanoh and several relatives, for their alleged involvement in a deadly election-related gun attack that occurred just hours before the May 12, 2025 polling day. The resolution from the Regional Prosecution Office 14 (RPO 14) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) recommends charging Nanoh and several others, identified only as "john does," with three counts of murder, two counts of frustrated murder, and attempted murder. This recommendation is detailed in a resolution dated July 2, which was obtained by reporters on Wednesday from officials of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the military’s Western Mindanao Command. The incident took place before dawn on May 12 last year, in the sea close to the beachfront Barangay Sangbay Big in Hadji Muhtamad. Gunmen riding speedboats, allegedly owned by the mayor, attacked a pump boat carrying supporters and poll watchers of then-mayoral candidate Hadji Jamar Abdullah Mansul. The attack resulted in the deaths of three passengers – Ben Bakil, Murasidol Abdurahman, and Samir Jamiri Allil – and injuries to two others, Habir Alih and Saldi Alih. Mayor Nanoh, who was seeking re-election, was not at the scene. However, prosecutors believe she was part of a conspiracy to harm the victims due to her alleged ownership of the speedboats used in the atrocity and her close relationship with its alleged perpetrators. Reporters in the BARMM provinces and cities attempted to reach the mayor for comment but were unsuccessful. Information Source: Philstar Nation