Displaced Maguindanao villagers urge arrest of mayor's sibling

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Villagers urged authorities Monday to serve a warrant for the arrest of an older sibling of the mayor in Maguindanao’s Montawal town, whose followers clashed anew Sunday night with a rival group, causing the displacement of more residents.

It was the eighth encounter since October between the feuding factions, one led by Andy Montawal, who is wanted for rape and narcotics cases in local courts, and the other by a Moro rebel leader, Commander Bingkug.

Montawal is an older brother of Otto Montawal, who is the incumbent mayor of Montawal, a town at the border of Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

The trouble started when Commander Bingkug and his followers attacked the group of Montawal after he and his men allegedly killed in October a relative of the commander in nearby Kabacan town in North Cotabato.

Acting Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Mujiv Hataman on MOnday ordered the ARMM police to act decisively on the spate of atrocities in Montawal, which already caused the displacement of thousands of innocent villagers.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Hao, commanding officer of the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion, said efforts to amicably settle the animosity between Commander Bingkug and Montawal are underway.

Displaced villagers are, however, ranting on why the local police could not serve the warrants for Montawal’s arrest, issued by local courts several years before, in connection with his involvement in heinous cases.

Officials adjoining Barangays Tunggol and Talapas, where the two groups have been fighting using assault rifles and shoulder-fire 40 MM grenades, said Montawal is just roaming freely in their municipality, escorted by heavily-armed relatives.