2 women hurt in Maguindanao del Norte shooting amid poll gun ban

COTABATO CITY  – Two women were hurt in a shooting incident that occurred on Friday morning, Aug. 21, in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, in a spate of violence in the run-up to the Sept. 14 Bangsamoro regional elections.

Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson of Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), said a businesswoman and an elderly were both wounded in the 11:45 a.m. gun attack in Barangay Semba, Datu Odin Sinsuat town.

READ: 3 slain in separate Maguindanao shootings

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She identified the wounded victims as businesswoman Suraya Ali, 47, of Barangay Semba, and Tarhata Samad, 68, of Barangay Tamontaka in the same town.

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Lt. Col. Brian Balite, Datu Odin Sinsuat police chief, said Ali was sitting in front of a roadside eatery when the gunman arrived on a motorbike.

Without provocation, the gunman shot the unsuspecting victim, hitting her in the body. A stray bullet hit Samad, who was inside the food store.

The gunman fled toward an unknown area.

Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered four empty shells for caliber .45 pistol at the crime scene.

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A manhunt has been ongoing.

Twelve hours earlier, at 8 p.m. Thursday night, August 20, an unidentified gunman shot dead a tricycle driver along the diversion road in Barangay Capiton, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

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Police said the victim, Chopin Mohammad Blah, 30, was declared dead on arrival at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center.

These gun attacks occurred while the Commission on Elections, through its deputies, has been implementing the election gun ban ahead of the historic Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on Sept. 14, 2026.

Since August 15, three incidents involving guns have occurred in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, one of the areas listed as a security “hotspot” in relation to the Sept. 14 elections.

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Since January 1, there have been 12 shooting incidents in Datu Odin Sinsuat, as listed by police and local media, that left 10 persons killed and seven wounded. /jpv