Salvador Ramos, a mayoral candidate in Tiboli, South Cotabato, survived Tuesday’s attack by at least 30 gunmen, believed to be Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, although four of his campaigners were killed and four others were wounded.
The five fatalities in the Calbayog City ambush included Rose Tamidles, wife of re-electionist councilor Nestor Tamidles, who himself was one of the nine wounded.
Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Ramos and his companions had come from a campaign sortie when they were waylaid in Sitio Sapang Bato in the hinterland town of Tiboli at about 7:30 a.m.
Four of Ramos’ companions — Narlito Salawa, Florante Tangko, Abraham Malones and a certain Jojo — were killed on the spot.
Ando said the attack also left four other campaigners of Ramos wounded. They are now recuperating at a hospital in South Cotabato.
Police and Army intelligence sources said the ambushers were led by a certain Commander Rakim Sedik, an MILF member who has been at odds with Ramos.
Ramos is himself controversial for his alleged involvement in blasting activities which caused the 1995 collapse of Lake Maughan, situated atop Mt. Parker in Tiboli, which left hundreds of people dead and thousands more homeless.
Investigators tagged Ramos and his companions as responsible for the blastings, with the use of mortars, in an outlet of Lake Maughan, supposedly to locate alleged treasures buried there by retreating Japanese soldiers during World War II.
An estimated 30 million cubic meters of water and rocks cascaded down from Mt. Parker, washing away villages and farms in more than a dozen towns in South Cotabato.
Ramos surrendered in 1996 to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after a South Cotabato court issued a warrant of arrest for him. Not much has been heard about the criminal case since then.
Besides Tamidles’ wife Rose, the fatalities included Rosalinda Rosalado, Rosario Mazdo, Girlito Tolap and Gilbert Hinoi. Tamidles was wounded, along with his brother Richard, Rolio Combo, Elegio Leones, Melecio Fernandez, Milagros Simapangob, Rogelio Siptimo, Jade Francisco and Roberto Dean.
Tamidles, who is seeking a second team as Calbayog councilor, is one of the leaders of Samar first district Rep. Rodolfo Tuazon of the Lakas-NUCD.
Yoro relieved the Calbayog police chief, Chief Inspector Oscar Cadiz, who was reportedly attending a conference in Catbalogan, Samar, when the ambush took place.
Lawmen found M-14 and M-16 slugs, a magazine and several caliber .45 live bullets at the ambush site.
Last April 19, a leader of the Liberal Party, a certain Marcelo Nayangga, was gunned down in Barangay Look, a few meters from the Calbayog City proper. The case is still unsolved.
Nayangga was a supporter of third-termer Calbayog Mayor Reynaldo Uy, who is running for congressman. Two other persons were seriously wounded in the attack.
Last March 26, Robert Gulla, a supporter of Rep. Tuazon, who is vying for the Calbayog mayoral post, was shot dead.
Col. Fredesvindo Covarrubias, chief of the Army’s Civil Relations Group for Mindanao, said the hostages, Vicente Encendencia and Francisco Sarmiento, who are running for vice mayor and councilor, respectively, were recovered in Barangay New Davao at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Covarrubias said members of the 28th Infantry Battalion found the two resting unguarded in the village.
Reports reaching the military’s Southern Command said their families paid their captors a total ransom of P90,000.
Communist rebels seized Encendencia and Sarmiento, along with one Adriano Gadia, while on their way to a campaign rally last April 17. Gadia was later released to relay the ransom demand. - John Unson, Roel PareÑO And Ulysses Torres Sabuco