COTABATO CITY: Local officials of towns without internal revenue allotments (IRA) said they were unable to address the insurgency problem in two military-liberated villages in Maguindanao.

At a press conference organized by the Philippine Army’s Sixth Infantry Division on February 2, a representative of the mayor of Shariff Saidona Mustapha town caught the attention of journalists when she admitted their helplessness in the face of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) guerillas in their community.