Shocking CCTV footage shows mayor's car blasted in broad daylight Philippine attack

Manila: Shariff Aguak Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan cheated death Sunday when his armoured black SUV repelled a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) ambush by gunmen leaping from a white minivan.

CCTV captured the 6:20am strike in Barangay Poblacion: suspects fired the launcher point-blank at the mayor's vehicle as it made a turn near a petrol station.

Ampatuan's bulletproof black SUV was hit partially while his backup vehicle, a pickup, was also hit by bullets.

The suspects were on board a white minivan when they carried out the centre-of-town daylight attack.

"Had the vehicle not been armoured, the mayor would be dead," declared Anwar Kuit Emblawa, Ampatuan's executive secretary, on DZMM. "By God's grace, he's unscathed — not a scratch."

Two security escorts suffered wounds but are now stable.

This marks the fourth attempt on Ampatuan's life (previous hits: 2010, 2014, 2019 — he was injured in the latter two, hence the armour upgrade).

Shariff Aguak (population population: 33,982 people as per 2020 Census) is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines, located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Formerly known as Maganoy, it was renamed Sharik Aguak in 1996 and is a 2nd income class municipality.

Investigation underway

Emblawa expects rapid leads from CCTV, daylight timing, and witnesses amid crowds.

"It happened in full view... parked right by the highway with vendors around," he noted. He dodged queries on political motives: "That's one of the risks politicians face."

Emblawa said the two security escorts sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are being treated at Bangsamoro Regional and Medical Center in Datu Hoffer.

The broad daylight RPG hit sparked a chase.

Emblawa said the two security escorts sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are being treated at Bangsamoro Regional and Medical Center in Datu Hoffer.

The three alleged ambushers were later killed during a pursuit operation by a joint police-Army team, according to the Philippine News Agency on Sunday.

Police found high-powered firearms in the vehicle.