MANILA, Philippines - The provincial government of Maguindanao is calling for an investigation into the killing of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town mayor Samsudin Otto Dimaukom.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu expressed doubts over police claims of a shootout with Dimaukom and nine of his men.
Mangudadatu told a television interview he doubted the police claim that Dimaukom was an illegal drug suspect.
He asked why there were only a few sachets of shabu seized from Dimaukom. If indeed he was a drug lord, Mangudadatu said the slain town mayor would have had a sizeable amount of illegal drugs.
Police said Dimaukom’s group was planning to transport a huge amount of shabu from Davao City to Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao.
On their way home, Dimaukom and his nine companions were killed at a checkpoint along the Cotabato-Davao Highway in Barangay Old Bulatukan on Friday.
Police said Dimaukom and his men, who were in a three-car convoy, opened fire at the policemen manning the checkpoint.
Sources pointed out not one among the policemen that figured in the firefight with Dimaukom’s group was hit in the gunfight.
Dimaukom, who was on his second term as mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, had been publicly named by President Duterte as among the 150 local officials involved in illegal drugs.
A day after the firefight, another local official in Duterte’s list was arrested, this time for illegal possession of firearms.
Lawmen raided the residence of Libungan, North Cotabato Mayor Christopher Cuan on suspicions that he is involved in drug trafficking.
While the raiding lawmen failed to find any illegal drugs at Cuan’s residence, the mayor was arrested for illegal possession of high-powered firearms and ammunition for various types of firearms.
No one is spared
Since the start of Duterte’s term on June 30, close to 4,000 people have been killed as part of his campaign against illegal drugs.
Over 600,000 drug users and pushers have surrendered to authorities since the campaign started.
Critics said the anti-illegal drug campaign is targeting the poor and the marginalized, but as far as Sen. Vicente Sotto III is concerned, that was not the case.
Sotto pointed out the killing of Dimaukom only shows that there is no truth to the claims that only the poor are being killed in the administration’s war on drugs.
Sotto, who has been supportive of the anti-illegal drug campaign of the President, said he has heard about many other prominent personalities being killed in the northern part of the country but these were not being highlighted by the authorities there.
“Now I suppose the people will stop asking why only the small fish are being killed,” Sotto said over dwIZ radio.
A certain Shahani Gumbila Pampangan in her social media post took exception over police claims that Dimaukom was a drug lord.
“I don’t believe it. He is a hero, a good leader. He is not a drug lord,” she said.
Officials of the Datu Saudi Ampatuan local government are in mourning for the slain town mayor, with the flag flown at half-mast.
Municipal administrator Mastura Tapa said the local government employees were saddened by the “untimely demise” of Dimaukom.
Dimaukom was popularly known as the “Pink Boy” for having painted pink all public buildings and mosques in the town.
Tapa insisted they knew their mayor well and could not believe he was engaged in the narcotics trade as alleged. – Marvin Sy, John Unson