A mayor in the Philippines has escaped with his life after being ambushed by a gang of assailants armed with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known as a rocket launcher.
Horrifying footage of the attack shows a black Toyota SUV, carrying Mayor Akmad Ampatuan, pulling into a Caltex petrol station at around 6 a.m. on January 25.
Within moments, a man crouched behind a grey van across the street is seen launching the RPG, firing it directly into the SUV in the Shariff Aguak municipality of the Philippines.
A man in a red shirt is also seen with what appears to be a heavy-duty assault rifle, which he fires in the direction of the mayor.
The SUV is filmed quickly driving away, as smoke lingers on the rear of the vehicle.
According to local media, two of the mayor’s security personnel were injured, while three of the suspects were killed by a joint military-police team.
One of the suspects remains at large.
In a press conference on Monday, Ampatuan told the media that “this cannot happen again,” as he called for a heightened security detail.
“I didn’t think they would use a gun that large. An RPG is not something an ordinary person uses. This was professional,” he said.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Randulf Tuaño said this was now the fourth attack against Ampatuan, who has been in office since 2022.
The first was a roadside bombing in 2010, followed by an ambush in 2014, and another attack in 2019.
He was also subject to alleged harassment in July and December 2025.
Ampatuan previously served as vice mayor and testified as a witness in the high-profile Maguindanao massacre case, where he testified against members of his extended family.
“The first angle we are looking at is local tension related to local politics, which may have resulted in the hiring of gunmen-for-hire,” said Tuano.
“A possible retaliation angle also surfaced, in which police are looking into whether the group of suspects share the same surname as victims in a previous killing incident.
Tuaño identified the leader of the group as a man known as “Raprap,” whose accomplices were his uncle, cousin, and sibling — the latter serving as the driver who managed to escape.
He also revealed that a task force has since been created to investigate the source of the weapons.
The Police Regional Office is set to recommend administrative relief to the Chief of Police due to possible security lapses in the town.
The incident comes just months after large-scale protests erupted across the Philippines over alleged corruption in government flood control and infrastructure projects, widely dubbed as “ghost projects.”
Tens of thousands joined rallies in main cities, demanding transparency and accountability, with some escalating into violent clashes and hundreds of arrests.
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