Monday, November 26, 2012

Armed clashes displace 50 villagers in Magpet town

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 27): Armed clashes displace 50 villagers in Magpet town

About 50 residents of a remote village in the hinterland town of Magpet in North Cotabato evacuated after a five-hour firefight between communist guerillas and members of the 57th Infantry Battalion and Special Forces of the Army on Tuesday morning. Sr. Insp. Sunny Leoncito, chief of the Magpet-Philippine National (PNP), said the fighting started around 9:00 a.m. at Purok-6, Sitio Tanay in Barangay Doles, Magpet and continued until 1:00 p.m. The evacuees, mostly children and housewives, are temporarily housed at the Barangay Doles hall. A week before the fighting, soldiers from the 57th IB arrived at nearby Barangay Pangao-an, also in Magpet, where they set up their temporary tents near the school, residents said. A tribal leader said the presence of the Army could have triggered attacks from the communist guerillas. Magpet Mayor Efren Pinol said his office has already sent a team from the social welfare unit to distribute relief items and assess the plight of the evacuees in the area.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=475011

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