On the fateful afternoon of 17 February, a Friday, Maranaws were shocked by the news that Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr., whom they fondly call “Bombit,” had been ambushed. Social media went on overdrive with exchanges of texts and posts by netizens about the incident. They were on edge as they waited for more news. A collective sigh of relief swept the province after it was learned that Bombit had not been fatally hit. However, three police escorts and an aide of the governor were killed, while another was wounded.
The Philippine National Police, as of this writing, has not come up with suspects or a motive for the ambush. They are still investigating. But hours after the incident, they reported that the ambush site was Maguing, Lanao del Sur, on the new highway connecting the province to Bukidnon.
Theories abound as armchair analysts subject the incident to intense analysis, like surgeons wielding scalpels.
Theory number 1: The ambush was the handiwork of the remnants of the Maute-Abu Sayyaf group who are out to show that they are still a force to reckon with and not a spent force as many perceive them to be. This is not plausible and devoid of hard evidence. Recall that their stunning defeat in the 2017 Marawi Siege with the death of all seven Maute brothers and of Espilon Hapilon and his Tausug soldiers made the group “kaput.” According to the military, however, there are sleeper cells of the group in the hinterlands of Lanao del Sur and some isolated skirmishes with the military have been attributed to them.
Theory number 2: The attack was politically motivated. This was easily quashed as preposterous. This writer won’t buy this. The culture of political assassinations that we see in other societies is hardly known among Maranaws. We can’t recall any incident of political leaders assassinated because of politics. The long reign of the Adiong dynasty in power is a testament to their hold over a majority of the electorate. Threats and violence were never an election weapon. And their popularity and “connect” to the people was seen by this writer with the throngs of supporters publicly weeping at the hospital where Bombit was rushed.
Moreover, the Alonto-Adiong families are known to be peace-loving and not prone to making enemies, political or otherwise. Their clan has never been involved in “rido” or family feuds. They are not known to muscle their way around using their political influence. Their great grandfather, former Senator Domocao Alonto, a Muslim leader and statesman who left an indelible imprint on our political history, in his later days had organized the Ansarul Islam which proselytized and evangelized a return to Islamic fundamentalism of the days of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH. The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Theory number 3. The ambush was a case of mistaken identity triggered by an earlier event on the same day. It was established that earlier there was an operation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency where hectares of marijuana were discovered and destroyed leading to the arrest of suspects. To avenge the disruption of their trade, the kin and followers of the drug lords waited in ambush for any police cars to pass through the area. It was accidental that Gov. Bombit and his convoy led by a police car — who had just come from the nearby town of Wao which was celebrating its Foundation Day — came along and the ambushers mistook them for the PDEA agents who had raided their plantation. This is more plausible and the police should build their case on this theory.
Other angles are being floated by “maritess” (gossipers) which are wild and do not merit mention here.
Again, this is all guesswork. We have to wait for the police work to finish.
Meantime, this should be a wake-up call to other top officials and men in uniform. Never let your guard down. An ambush like this comes like a thief in the night. And one cannot predict what’s in a deranged mind.
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amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com