STATEMENT ON THE ATTACK ON DATU MONTAWAL, MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR MAYOR OHTO CAUMBO MONTAWAL
The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), the umbrella organization of all leagues of local government units, strongly condemns yet another attack on one of our local chief executives, Datu Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur Mayor Ohto Caumbo Montawal who was shot while he was in Manila last 22 February 2023 to attend the 2023 League of Municipalities of the Philippines’ General Assembly.
We support the call of the Leagues of Municipalities of the Philippines for the Philippine National Police to utilize all legal means available to pursue and bring the perpetrators to the bar of justice. This spate of attacks on our local chief executives is immensely reprehensible and calls for increased vigilance and the administration of justice. We likewise wish to call on our colleagues to close ranks behind a common resolve to use our legislative, executive, and moral powers to protest these killings and to ensure that they do not happen again.
We pray for the immediate full recovery of Mayor Montawal and for justice to prevail. For it is the promise of justice and equality before the law that ties society together and makes even the most challenging of times more bearable for our people.
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