Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, survived a brazen assassination attempt on January 25, 2026, when attackers ambushed his armored SUV with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and heavy gunfire. The attack occurred around 6:30 a.m. in Barangay Poblacion as the mayor returned from a local market. CCTV footage captured two suspects emerging from a white minivan—one firing an RPG and the other using an automatic rifle. The RPG struck the black armored Toyota Land Cruiser, briefly engulfing it in smoke, but the vehicle’s protection allowed the mayor to escape unharmed.

Two of his security escorts sustained minor abdominal injuries but are in stable condition. The suspects fled, triggering a pursuit by the Philippine National Police and the 90th Infantry Battalion. A shootout ensued in Barangay Meta, Datu Unsay, resulting in the deaths of three suspects: Budtong ...