DISPLACED BY ATROCITIES. Residents of Barangay Midconding in General S.K. Pendatun, Maguindanao province, haul their valuables as warring families figure in a shooting war since June 13, 2022. Maguindanao officials (inset), together with military and police officials, have stepped in to settle the dispute peacefully. (Photo courtesy of Maguindanao Provincial Police Office)
COTABATO CITY – Maguindanao provincial leaders and police officials came together to restore normalcy in the town of General S.K. Pendatun after two Moro clans figured in armed skirmishes the past two days.
Colonel Christopher Panapan, Maguindanao police director, said peacekeeping forces from the police and military have been deployed to restore normalcy and ensure the safety of civilians in Barangay Midconding, the site of armed encounters.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) also sent its Task Force Ittihad (TF-Peacekeeping) to help restore peace to the village of about 1,200 individuals.
Officials identified the warring families as those from the camp of village chair Datu Mama Abdul and followers of General SK Pendatun Mayor Bimbo Pendatun Ali.
Close to 100 families or 500 individuals have fled to safer grounds when the latest skirmishes erupted Tuesday night.
Abdul claimed that barely two days after the May 9 polls, the followers of Mayor Ali attacked his village after they supported another mayoral candidate.
Intermittent clashes occurred between the two families since then that only intensified since Monday this week.
“Politics is the root cause of this conflict,” Abdul said.
Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Mangudadatu said her office has sent relief teams to attend to the needs of displaced families. (PNA)
