Maguindanao del norte: The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) created a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) on Monday to speed up the investigation into the August 15 slay attempt against Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua.

According to Philippines News Agency, Capt. Steffi Salanguit, PRO-BAR spokesperson, said the investigating body is called SITG-Interim Chief Minister or SITG-ICM and is headed by Col. George Bagundol, Maguindanao del Norte provincial police director, as SITG group commander. Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia, PRO-BAR regional director, ordered the creation of SITG-ICM to accelerate the gathering of information, including digital information, to help identify the gunmen who fired at the convoy of Macacua in Barangay Bitu, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday.

Macacua was unharmed, and none of his companions in the convoy were hurt. No one has claimed responsibility for the ambush. Macacua had attended a general assembly of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party in nearby Kabuntalan town, also in Maguindanao del Norte, when the attempt occurred. Police found several empty shells at the crime scene.

While Macacua is running for an elective post in the September 14 parliamentary elections in BARMM, the Commission on Elections has not yet declared the ambush election-related as the investigation continues.