LAMITAN CITY — The 1101st Infantry "Gagandilan" Brigade has placed Basilan province under total lockdown, unleashing a massive joint military-police manhunt following back-to-back roadside ambushes that killed one soldier and injured more than a dozen others.
Brig. Gen. Frederick Sales, Brigade commander, reported on Monday that the brigade has elevated its operational alert posture across Basilan province following consecutive hostile attacks on military transport convoys.
Sales ordered all units to be vigilant, upgrade force protection protocols, and review movement procedures for supply and personnel trucks.
The heightened security response comes in the wake of a deadly roadside ambush on Thursday night, when the group of Saddam Saddick ambushed the KM450 tactical trucks carrying 45IB troops returning from the Lamitan City port.
The fierce encounter resulted in the death of Corporal Efren M. Lagmay of the 45th Infantry Battalion due to severe head injuries and military and civilian casualties.
This lethal strike closely followed an earlier daylight ambush in Tipo-Tipo town on Oct. 5, 2026 that wounded 10 Army personnel, including a junior officer, and a Civilian Auxiliary (CAFGU militiaman) from the 45th IB.
Military intelligence and top brass have attributed both ambushes to local lawless elements and armed factions operating led by Saddam Siddick.
The military believed that the attacks were acts of retaliation by Siddick, whose wife Nermalyn Musa was killed during a joint security force operation in Basilan. She was identified as an active operative affiliated with local violent group remnants (DI-ASG) in Basilan and was facing four counts of murder at a local court in Basilan province.
In response to the threats, joint military and police units have deployed intensive intelligence-driven pursuit operations to hunt down the perpetrators across strategic interior zones.
Sales emphasized that tactical sweeps were being conducted in close coordination with local government units and the Philippine National Police to dismantle the group of Saddick.
Local authorities and military commanders have also appealed to civilian communities in Basilan to stay calm, maintain high vigilance, and report suspicious movements.
The 1101st Brigade leadership firmly reiterated that despite these violent setbacks, security forces remain fully resolved to protect residents and preserve hard-earned regional stability.