CCTV shows a gunman firing a rocket launcher at the mayor’s armored SUV in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur.
COTABATO CITY, PHILLIPINES — A rocket-propelled grenade struck the convoy of Shariff Aguak Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan early Sunday, Jan. 25, as the official drove through Barangay Poblacion, authorities said. The mayor was unhurt. Two escorts were wounded, and three suspected attackers died hours later in a clash with pursuing forces.
Officials called the daylight attack a rare and brazen use of heavy weapons against a local official in Maguindanao del Sur. Police said the strike, captured by security cameras near the municipal hall, is under a Special Investigation Task Group focused on identifying the planners and financiers. The ambush is the latest in a series of attempts on Ampatuan’s life over the past decade and highlights persistent political and clan-linked violence that has troubled parts of the Bangsamoro region. Investigators are testing recovered firearms and a rocket launcher for forensic matches as they examine possible gun-for-hire and rivalry angles.
Security footage shows a white minivan pulling over around 6:30 a.m. as the mayor’s black Toyota Land Cruiser turned near a storefront in the town center. Two men jumped out. One hoisted a shoulder-fired launcher and fired at close range. The blast filled the road with smoke and debris as the armored SUV lurched forward. Gunfire followed. The convoy accelerated away while bystanders ducked behind parked vehicles. “The mayor is safe,” an executive assistant said in a message to reporters, adding that two security escorts suffered abdominal and leg injuries and were treated at a regional hospital. At a news briefing Monday, Ampatuan said the strike left him sore and briefly deaf from the concussion. “I didn’t think they would use a gun that large. This was professional,” he said.
Police and Army units launched “hot pursuit” operations minutes after the ambush. By midday, officers tracked the suspects to Barangay Meta in nearby Datu Unsay, where a firefight erupted. Three men were killed, and investigators recovered high-powered rifles and what police described as a B40-type RPG launcher. Authorities identified the slain suspects as Budtong “Rap-Rap” Alim Pendatun, Tekz Malid Pendatun and Puasa Oting Madid. The mayor’s pickup escort vehicle showed bullet strikes, while the armored Land Cruiser bore impact damage consistent with a glancing RPG hit, investigators said. Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro spokespersons said the CCTV footage—shared online by the vice mayor—helped map the attackers’ route and the timing of the strike.
The office of acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said a Special Investigation Task Group will consolidate ballistic, CCTV and communication records and coordinate with the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion. Nartatez ordered the Bangsamoro police to build a case not only against the gunmen but also against the alleged masterminds and financiers. He said units will intensify operations against loose firearms in the province and increase patrols around government offices and markets. Local officials in Maguindanao del Sur, including the governor, condemned the attack and urged a quick probe. Investigators said they are exploring motives that include political rivalry, clan disputes and possible hired gunmen, but they have not publicly named a motive or sponsor.
Ampatuan said it was the third known attempt on his life since 2014, with earlier ambushes reported in Guindulungan and Shariff Aguak. He is a member of a prominent political clan in Maguindanao, a province that has seen periodic surges of election-related and clan-linked violence. The latest strike unfolded less than a mile from the municipal compound and near businesses that were opening for the day, heightening public alarm. The Bangsamoro region has been under a yearslong peace process, but authorities say pockets of private armed groups and criminal networks remain. Police noted that the use of an RPG in a municipal center is uncommon and escalatory, even in areas where long firearms are sometimes seized from private groups.
Police said the task group will examine fragments from the rocket, test-fired bullets and the recovered launcher for matches, review phone records and track the minivan’s ownership. Nartatez said the force will form dedicated teams for the forensic review and for case build-up under the regional director. He added that regular situation reports will be elevated to national headquarters. Briefings with the mayor and municipal council were held Monday, Jan. 26, to reassess security, after Ampatuan said several escorts assigned to him had been withdrawn in December. The mayor asked for additional protection while the investigation proceeds. The police have not announced any charges as of Tuesday.
On the ground Monday, vendors along Maguindanao Street described a sharp blast and a wave of dust that rolled through storefronts. “We heard a thud, not a big fireball, then the SUV kept moving,” said a tricycle driver who asked not to be named for safety. Outside the municipal hall, residents stopped to watch officers collect debris and measure distances from the blast mark to the turn where the SUV accelerated. “We will not tolerate attempts to intimidate or harm public officials,” Nartatez said in a separate statement, adding that police intend to dismantle any network behind the attack. Outside the hospital, relatives of the wounded escorts said both men were awake and in stable condition.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 27, authorities said the Special Investigation Task Group is processing evidence and coordinating follow-up operations. Police plan to release updates after initial lab results and interviews with the mayor’s team are completed later this week.
Author note: Last updated Tuesday, January 27, 2026.