Rocket Launcher Fired at Incumbent Mayor's Vehicle: "Not a Movie, but a Real Situation in the Philippines"

RPG Attack on Mayor's Vehicle in Small Southern Philippine City
No Casualties Thanks to Bulletproof SUV
Mayor Ampatuan Survives Fourth Assassination Attempt
Local Police Immediately Kill Three Suspects

An attempted assassination using a rocket launcher targeting a sitting mayor occurred in a small provincial city in southern Philippines. Fortunately, thanks to the bulletproof vehicle, there were no major casualties.

On January 26, 2026, state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA), CNN, and other foreign media outlets reported that a vehicle carrying a sitting mayor in a small city in the Philippines was attacked by unidentified assailants.

The assailants got out of a white vehicle and aimed at the market vehicle with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and rifles. Surveillance camera footage captured the scene where a black SUV was moving along the road, and two men who got out of a vehicle on the opposite side carried out the attack. Photo by Yonhap News TV

At around 6:30 a.m. the previous day, on a road in Maguindanao del Sur, an SUV carrying Mayor Akhmad Mitra Ampatuan was attacked by armed assailants. According to the police investigation, the attackers got out of a white vehicle and fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and rifles at the mayor's vehicle. Surveillance camera footage showed two men getting out of a black SUV traveling along the road and launching the attack on a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. One man was carrying a rocket launcher on his shoulder, while the other was armed with a rifle. Immediately after the rocket launcher was fired, a loud bang was heard, flames erupted from the vehicle, and the camera footage shook violently from the blast.

The mayor's vehicle was equipped with specially designed bulletproof armor that withstood the blast shock and shrapnel. Photos released after the attack show that the rear bumper and part of the side were damaged, but the body remained relatively intact. Mayor Ampatuan managed to escape the scene unharmed and his life is not in danger. However, two security personnel accompanying him were injured and are receiving treatment at a hospital. Police responded immediately to the report and launched a pursuit, killing three of the four suspects at the scene. Authorities are focusing on the possibility that the attack was a carefully planned contract killing and are tracking those behind the incident.

The market vehicle was equipped with specially designed bulletproof armor that withstood the blast shock and shrapnel. Photos released after the attack show that the rear bumper and part of the side were damaged, but the body remained relatively intact. Photo by Yonhap News TV

In a press conference after the incident, Mayor Ampatuan stated, "I never expected them to use such heavy weapons. An RPG is not a weapon used by ordinary criminals," adding, "This attack was clearly the work of professionals." He continued, "I have some idea who may have targeted me, but I will wait for the police investigation to confirm the exact identity and motives of the attackers."

In the Philippines, attacks involving firearms and explosives targeting local politicians are not uncommon. In particular, in the southern Mindanao region, conflicts between political families, the presence of private armies, and the illegal distribution of weapons have led to repeated assassinations and retaliatory attacks during election seasons or major policy periods. Even after the large-scale political massacre in Maguindanao in 2009, shootings and bomb attacks targeting incumbent mayors and gubernatorial candidates have continued.

This is not the first assassination attempt against Mayor Ampatuan. Including incidents in 2014 and 2019, he has survived four assassination threats or attacks to date. Local media reported that "without the bulletproof vehicle and security personnel, this could have resulted in a major disaster," highlighting once again the structural security instability in Philippine local politics.