| Case Study 1
Guindulungan, Maguindanao
The MindaNews team left Cotabato City early morning of Monday, May 9, 2016, en route to Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao when it was flagged down along the highway of Guindulungan town, just outside the gate of the Guindulungan town hall, near the municipal police station, shortly before 6:20 a.m.
Forced to park on the roadside because “may nagbabatuhan sa unahan” (there’s stone-throwing ahead), the team could see people running towards the Tambunan Central Elementary School, the two armored personnel carriers parked on the roadside moving to the center of the highway, fronting the school.
Tension filled the air. People were shouting, in Maguindanaon.
The versions of the report vary. The MindaNews report had more details, as expected, because it happened to be there while the event was unfolding — not inside the school itself at the time of the stone-throwing and shooting — but outside, and was the first news team in the school compound when the police and military had declared the area safe and voting resumed.
Although more detailed, the MindaNews report, “1 killed as supporters of LP, UNA mayoralty bets clash in Guindulungan” (http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/05/09/1-killed-as-supporters-of-lp-una-mayoralty-bets-clash-in-guindulungan/) lacked a vital detail, given time constraints, particularly on the status of the victim: was a he a registered voter in that school when he was a resident of neighboring Talayan town? It also failed to talk with Bobby Bondula, the rival mayoralty candidate, for his version of the incident.
The victim was identified by the Guindulungan Police as 20-year old Uray Anta Usop, resident of neighboring Talayan town. Nelson Sangowang, secretary to Guindulungan Mayor Midpantao Midtimbang, Sr. described Usop as “supporter of the mayor” whose son, Midtimbang Jr. (UNA) was running for mayor against cousin Bobby Bondula (LP).
Why was Usop, a resident of neighboring Talayan, in the school? Sangowang referredto him as a “supporter.” Was Usop a registered voter in that Guindulungan school?
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, in a report supposedly datelined Guindulungan. “Voter shot dead in Maguindanao town” (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/784228/voter-shot-dead-in-maguindanao-town) identified the victim as Unggay Usop, who was reportedly shot “around 7 a.m.” The report also identified Usop as a “voter.” |
