Peace activist Moro barangay exec killed in ambush

COTABATO CITY — A Moro barangay chairman, known for his extensive involvement in programs promoting Muslim-Christian interfaith solidarity, was killed in an ambush in Carmen town, Cotabato, early Sunday, August 2. Local executives and officials of the Carmen Municipal Police Station separately told reporters at noon Sunday that the ambush victim, Arnel Aliudin, chairman of Barangay Cadiis in Carmen, who was widely known in the municipality as “Boyet,” died instantly from bullet wounds sustained in the attack. Aliudin and his companions were aboard their Mitsubishi L300 barangay service vehicle, en route to an undisclosed location, when they were attacked by gunmen along a stretch of highway in Barangay Kibudtungan, Carmen. He was driving the vehicle that the attackers, who were positioned along the route, fired at it using pistols, according to witnesses and barangay officials in Kibudtungan who responded to the incident. Lt. Col. Rolly Oranza, municipal police chief in Carmen, said the gunmen who attacked them immediately fled and are now the subject of an extensive police-military manhunt. Army Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, commander of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, whose headquarters is in Carmen, said their intelligence agents are helping Oranza and his subordinate investigators in identifying the Aliudin's killers for prosecution. Aliudin was known in Carmen, one of the 17 towns in Cotabato province, for his active involvement in joint law enforcement activities conducted by the police and units of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, as well as in community programs aimed at fostering religious and cultural cohesion among the Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous communities in the municipality. Oranza and intelligence operatives of the 602nd Infantry Brigade said they are certain that it was Aliudin was the target of the ambush, not any of his companions who survived the attack that left him dead. The incident raises concerns about the security situation in the region, particularly given Aliudin's role in peace-building and reconciliation efforts. Southern Philippines has long grappled with complex issues of conflict, poverty, and unresolved political and social issues that contribute to instability, and attacks on peace advocates and community leaders highlight these challenges.