Death toll in SGA-BARMM gun attack rises to 4
Published Jun 3, 2026 12:47 pm
COTABATO CITY – The death toll in the bloody gun attack in the Special Geographic Area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM) on Tuesday rose to four as two more wounded victims have died in the hospital, police said.
“Four other wounded victims remained in the hospital receiving treatment,” Police Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), said in a radio interview here on Wednesday.
Two individuals were killed after they were attacked at 8 a.m. Tuesday by armed men in Barangay Malingao, Kadayangan, SGA-BARMM. Two others expired in the afternoon of the same day while undergoing treatment in a hospital.
Salanguit identified the first two casualties who died on the spot as Musalik Balang, 45, and Haron Boliongan, 35.
In the evening, Romeo Lombo and a 17-year-old male also expired.
Citing a report from the Kadayangan Municipal Police Station, Salanguit said the shooting was triggered by a misunderstanding over illegal drug transactions between the victims, all residents of Barangay Malingao, and the still unidentified attackers.
“About eight men arrived in the village and, without provocation, fired at the victims,” she said.
In a separate radio interview, Kadayangan Mayor Duma Mascud said the suspects were in a private vehicle that arrived in the village of Malingao shortly before 8 a.m.
“Three men alighted from the vehicle and opened fire on the civilians for still unknown reasons,” Mascud said.
Salanguit said barangay officials and residents told police investigators that the crime scene was suspected to be a drug den and that the incident was drug-related.
The Maguindanao del Norte police office, which has jurisdiction over SGA towns, has deployed additional troops to prevent a similar incident.
No civilian evacuation was reported despite the incident. (PNA)