Reporting a two-hour firefight behind a concrete wall

Maguindanao del Sur, a province mired in decades-old armed conflicts, was ominously peaceful the whole morning of Monday, September 14, 2026, a historic day in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with voters casting their ballots for the first-ever parliamentary elections.

My team and I moved from one town to the next in search of stories. Everything seemed in order, a pleasant surprise for voters and even for the media covering the historic event.

“Sana ganito lagi sa mga susunod na eleksyon (Hopefully, succeeding elections will be like this),” a village chief, who had just voted, told us.

But the momentary peace was quickly shattered. We were at a voting place in the town of Shariff Aguak when we got wind of reports of an ongoing firefight in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, a town more than 20 kilometers from our location.

Two armored personnel carriers and Special Action Force troopers stand guard several meters from a polling center in Shariff Saydona Mustapha.

We boarded our vehicle, and rushed to the town, stopping in front of a polling center where the sound of sporadic gunfire could be heard from a distance.

“Around 700 meters ang labanan, sir (The firefight is about 700 meters),” a police intelligence officer whispered to me.

According to initial reports, armed supporters of two contending political parties gunning for parliamentary seats were locked in a fierce gunbattle for reasons still unknown.

Cops launch a drone to check the gunbattle between two armed groups supporting rival political parties taking part in the BARMM parliamentary elections.

10 arrested

As the sound of gunshots continued to fill the air, a tense moment ensued when a speeding tricycle passed by, refusing to stop as ordered by cops manning the street.

But the driver and the passengers were eventually surrounded by the security forces with their guns in shooting position.

“Dapa, dapa (face down, face down),” the cops shouted.

With guns drawn, police officers command the suspects to remain on the ground following their arrest.

Among the items found in their possession was a small sack filled with spent bullet casings, raising suspicion that they could be involved in the ongoing firefight.

“Bakit may mga basyo kayo ng bala (Why do you have spent shells),” a cop asked.

Cops stop at gunpoint a speeding mini van loaded with passengers along the main road of the town of Shariff Saydona Mustapha.

Just seconds later, a mini van loaded with passengers also ignored the cops who had flagged them down. The police personnel blocked their path, and with guns pointed at them, the driver and the passengers were ordered to get out of the vehicle and drop to the ground.

Upon inspection, cops saw a pistol inside the bag of one of the passengers.

A total of 10 individuals were apprehended and immediately brought to the police station for investigation and possible filing of charges.

Combat zone

After the tense arrest, the security forces began to move toward the direction of the conflict area.

We were at the tailend of the convoy, and as we traveled closer and closer to the combat zone, the gunshots sounded louder, the volume of fire getting heavier.

Then the convoy came to a halt along the highway, some of the vehicles backed up and entered the municipal compound of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, while we remained parked on the roadside. Only then we realized that the fighting between the two warring groups was just a couple of hundred meters away.

“Tara na (Let's go),” I told my team.

Behind a concrete wall, GMA News senior reporter Jun Veneracion filming a recorded (not live) blow-by-blow selfie report of the early part of the firefight between government troops and armed groups in Maguindanao del Sur.

In a low-crouch position, we ran for cover, and found a relatively safe place behind a concrete wall inside the municipal complex.

PNP officers planning their next move as fighting intensifies.

But the situation would turn from bad to worse as the fighting shifted, dragging the police to the fray. The volley of fire from the armed groups were now being aimed at the position of the government forces inside the compound.

Though protected by the solid wall, we were from being safe given the heavy volume of fire the compound was taking. Bullets whizzing and ricocheting, tree branches snapping as the armed groups pressed on with their relentless attack.

“Ginagapang na nila tayo papalapit (They are crawling near to us),” one cop said in a concerned tone.

SAF troopers fight back

Armed with modern fighting equipment, the elite troopers of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) decided to fight back, taking turns in firing to repel the advancing enemy.

SAF member fires a machine gun in an effort to thwart the advance of the armed group.

Outside the compound, two armored personnel carriers of the SAF unleashed heavy fire from 50-caliber machine guns, each shot reverberated with deafening noise.

While from the top of a building, SAF snipers took aim at their targets, pressing the trigger whenever there’s a clear shot in the crosshair.

SAF sniper positions himself on the top floor of a building to get a clear view of the surrounding and enemy targets.

But the enemy was no pushover. Despite the counter-offensive by government forces, they refused to back down, taking even more pot shots as if they’d never run out of ammunitions.

It was a back-and-forth exchange, with each side standing their ground.

Cops shoot grenade launchers against as part of their counter-offensive against the enemy.

In the middle of the fighting, a SAF trooper got wounded after being hit by a shrapnel.

“Okay naman siya. Tinamaan ng nag-ricochet na bala (He's okay. He was hit when a bullet ricocheted),” an officer told me.

Newsmen in the middle of a firefight

Caught in the middle of the firefight with nowhere to go, me and my team had no other recourse but to film the encounter as it unfolded.

GMA News cameraman Joseph Salazar takes cover behind a tree while filming the gunbattle.

Joseph Salazar, who has been my cameraman for many years, documented everything he could while moving from one area to another, at times taking refuge behind tree trunks.

Alfredo Loresto, our assistant cameraman, would sprint to our vehicle to get batteries and other equipment and run back to our coverage position behind the concrete wall.

Amid the chaos, our systems engineer, JC Navarro, managed to set up our satellite internet equipment, enabling us to remain online while covering and reporting about the armed encounter. While the gunbattle was happening, he was transmitting all the gathered video materials to our news base.

Exit move

It was around 4 p.m. when the police provincial director of Maguindanao del Sur, Police Colonel Michael John Mangahis, gathered his men to map out their next plan of action. He asked if there was another gate that could be used for safe exit.

“Meron sa likod, sir (There's another one at the back, sir),” a policeman replied.

Mangahis then ordered his troops to immediately move. “Lahat ng tropa prepare papunta doon (All troops prepare to go there),” he instructed men.

The police provincial director of Maguindanao del Sur in a huddle with his troops.

We took it as a cue to extricate ourselves as well. So, we rushed to our respective vehicles and loaded all our things. But a long queue of cars clogged the road leading to the exit gate at the back of the municipal compound.

At 4:10 p.m., vehicles packed with people with their heads down began speeding away from the compound. We joined the convoy and made it to a safe ground two hours after getting trapped in the middle of an intense firefight.

GMA News personnel safely exit the combat zone in Shariff Saydona Mustapha after two hours inside the municipal compound.

(GMA News personnel safely exit the combat zone in Shariff Saydona Mustapha after two hours inside the municipal compound)

Hours later, we were able to broadcast live from another town and delivered to the public the story that we had witnessed and painstakingly gathered.

But far more important than the story, is the fact that we all made through…unscathed. — RSJ, GMA News