Maguindanao del Sur
GENERAL SANTOS CITY鈥擳ension gripped the town of Pandag, Maguindanao del Sur, on Thursday after a group led by Gov. Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu barged into the municipal hall, apparently to eject acting Mayor Zihan Mangudadatu from office.
A video footage circulated through social media showed Sangki-Mangudadatu and her group entering the office of Zihan, the elected vice mayor who assumed as acting mayor by rule of succession after her husband, Khadafeh Mangudadatu, was jailed in September over double murder charges.
鈥淲e will file a case against you,鈥� Sangki-Mangudadatu was heard telling Zihan in the video shortly after entering the latter鈥檚 office.
Sangki-Mangudadatu grabbed Zihan鈥檚 phone and, apparently, wanted to hit her with it but a security aide stopped her.
鈥淲ag mo galawin ang cell phone ko, Ma鈥檃m (Don鈥檛 touch my cell phone, Ma鈥檃m),鈥� Zihan protested.
A scuffle then ensued between the two camps. A gun was reportedly fired, it was not clear in the video from which camp the gunshot came.
The Inquirer reached the information offices of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) police and the Maguindanao provincial police on Thursday afternoon but their officials said they had no details at the time the call was made.
Poll protest
Sangki-Mangudadatu was with former Maguindanao administrator Mohajeran 鈥淥djie鈥� Balayman, who was declared the winner in the mayoral race in Pandag by Regional Trial Court Branch 15 Judge Annabelle Piang on Oct. 14. Balayman had contested the May 9 results where Khadafeh won.
Balayman took his oath of office before Sangki-Mangudadatu a few days after the court issued the ruling in his favor.
But BARMM Minister of the Interior and Local Government Naguib Sinarimbo has recognized Zihan, being the elected vice mayor, to assume the mayor鈥檚 post since her husband was in jail at the time the local court issued its ruling.
Balayman had reportedly filed cases of usurpation of authority, grave misconduct and graft against Sinarimbo for 鈥渘ot honoring鈥� the court order.
Sinarimbo welcomed the charges, maintaining the BARMM Ministry of the Interior and Local Government is following the rule of succession since Khadafeh鈥檚 camp appealed the court鈥檚 ruling.
Appeal
In a Facebook live late on Thursday afternoon, Khadafeh said the incident happened around 3:35 p.m. inside the municipal hall.
He claimed that aside from taking Zihan鈥檚 phone, Sangki-Mangudadatu鈥檚 security aides also allegedly took the two handbags of his wife.
Khadafeh appealed to President Marcos, the military and police to intervene to ease the tension and avoid violence.
Khadafeh is the brother of former Maguindanao governor and representative Esmael 鈥淭oto鈥� Mangudadatu, who lost to Sangki-Mangudadatu in the May 9 gubernatorial race.
Sangki-Mangudadatu is the wife of former Sultan Kudarat governor Suharto Mangudadatu, a cousin of Esmael and Khadafeh.The fathers of Suharto (Datu Pax Mangudadatu, former governor of Sultan Kudarat) and brothers Esmael and Khadafeh (Pua Mangudadatu, former mayor of Buluan) had a violent past.
Brothers Pax and Pua were known mortal political enemies in the 1980s, with their rivalry claiming the lives of a number of family members and supporters.
RELATED STORY:
Tension up in Maguindanao town as guv enters political rival鈥檚 office, grabs exec鈥檚 cell phone