Gunfire in a rice-growing barangay of Pagalungan left 19 people dead on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Five more were wounded. Every victim belonged to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and they died at each other’s hands.
The Manila Times, citing Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, reported that the fight pitted the 105th Base Command under Engr. Alonto Sultan against the combined 128th and 129th Base Commands led by Ikot Ahmad. The Mindanao Sentinel gave a split of the dead: 17 from Sultan’s side and 2 from the other. It also named the second commander as Abdul Latip, also known as Ikot Akmad Dandua.
What unfolded in Barangay Kilangan
The Sentinel’s account begins with a truce attempt. Army soldiers had escorted Sultan’s group onto the contested ground in Barangay Kilangan so the two sides could talk. Once the troops left, shooting started and went on for several minutes. The Sentinel said Dandua’s group opened fire on Sultan’s men.
The Philippine National Police described it differently. Its version, relayed by GMA Integrated News, had Sultan’s group walking onto land held by Latip’s faction. Both versions agree on the outcome. The PNP’s own tally on October 31 stood lower, at 17 dead, 16 from one group and one from the other, and the figure of 19 came from the Army and local reports.
A feud over land
This was no sudden quarrel. PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said the two commanders have been feuding over the territory for years. “The root of this fight is a long-standing feud on the land… They have been fighting for years,” she said.
Nobody agrees on how much ground is at stake. Police first put the disputed area at about 45 hectares. The 6th Infantry Division later said Sultan’s group claimed around 280 hectares. DZRH reported that both commanders claim 300 hectares of rice fields in Kilangan.
Ownership claims run through families. According to the Sentinel, Sultan says he holds legal title and that his family has owned the land for generations, while Commander Bawsi, an ally of Dandua, insists it belongs to his own ancestors. Mediation by Mayor Mamasabulod and army units had already failed.
Aftermath
The 90th Infantry Battalion moved into Kilangan to help residents get out. Pagalungan police and the battalion set up checkpoints. Families crowded into evacuation shelters. “People are very afraid, not knowing if they can safely return to their homes anytime soon,” one resident told the Sentinel.
Maj. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete of the 6th Infantry Division said the priority was the safety of civilians and the restoration of order. Police Brigadier General Romeo Mavapaz, who heads the police office for the Bangsamoro region, said no civilians were hurt and the area had returned to normal, with police and soldiers keeping watch.
The MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities was notified, and the PNP said further investigation would proceed with that committee and other agencies.
Sources
- PNP: Land dispute spurred MILF conflict in Maguindanao del Sur; deaths now 17
- Deadly Clash Between MILF Factions Claims 19 Lives in Maguindanao del Sur
- 19 killed as 2 MILF groups clash (The Manila Times)
- At least 19 dead due to MILF infighting in Maguindanao Del Sur (DZRH)
