The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the conviction of alleged Maute group matriarch Ominta Romato Maute, also known as "Farhana," and three co-accused in connection with the 2016 kidnapping and killing of six sawmill workers in Lanao del Sur.

In a decision dated 6 February 2026, the CA's Sixth Division upheld the ruling of the Taguig Regional Trial Court, which sentenced Maute, physician Russel Langi Salic, Sohaylie Mohammad Cader, and Mashory G. Abdul to reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole.

The appellate court rejected the accused's alibi, ruling that it could not overcome the positive identification made by surviving victims.

Maute claimed she was attending a graduation ceremony in Marawi City, while Salic said he was attending a medical convention in Palawan. Cader maintained he was in Davao City, while Abdul denied participating in the abduction.

However, the CA found the defenses unconvincing and agreed with the trial court that eyewitness testimony directly linked all four accused to the crimes.

The case stemmed from the April 2016 abduction of six sawmill workers by armed members of the Maute group in Butig, Lanao del Sur.

Two of the captives were later beheaded, while four others were eventually released and rescued.

The surviving victims testified that the four accused were among those who guarded, threatened and participated in their detention.

The appellate court ruled that the penalty of reclusion perpetua was proper, citing the serious injuries suffered by the victims, the threats made against them, and the killing of two captives.

The CA also ordered the accused to jointly pay each surviving victim ₱75,000 in civil indemnity, ₱75,000 in moral damages and ₱75,000 in exemplary damages.

The heirs of each of the two slain victims were awarded ₱100,000 each in civil indemnity, moral damages and exemplary damages.

The court further ruled that all monetary awards will earn 6 percent annual interest from the finality of the decision until fully paid.