BY JOEL CALAMBA ESCOL, Managing Editor
LANAO DEL SUR – The police investigators in the recent ambush of Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong, Jr of this province are not discounting the possibility that a drug syndicate could be behind the ambush.
The governor has been actively campaigning to eradicate drugs in the province and prior to the ambush, operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have destroyed a Marijuana plantation in Maguing town, with an estimated value of P5-million.
Police authorities said this could be among the angles that the investigation is also pursuing since a huge sum of money was lost to the drug syndicate operating in Mindanao due to the burning of the Marijuana plantation.
PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr is also considering a “rido” or a clan war as one of the angles that are being looked into by the police investigating the ambush.
But the governor’s brother, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong, dismissed the possibility of a clan war as the Adiong family has no known enemies in the province.
Rep Zia said “We’re looking at every possible motive. We cannot discount politics because of what happened. There’s really an intentional attempt on his life.”
Meanwhile, PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr has ordered the suspension of gun licenses of all civilians in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and 63 barangays in North Cotabato.
All of these provinces are under the supervision of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
