North Cotabato guv creates Task Force Barko-Barko amid heightened conflict

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 25): North Cotabato guv creates Task Force Barko-Barko amid heightened conflict

To bring back peace in a conflict-stricken town in North Cotabato, Gov. Talino-Mendoza spearheaded the creation of Task Force Barko-Barko.

Task Force Barko-Barko is a joint task force composed of the members of the Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Committee in Region 12.

Specifically composed of two platoons from the 57th IB and 27th IB of the Philippine Army, the task force is created primarily to ease tensions and maintain normalcy in the villages of Maybula specifically Sitio Barko-Barko and Sitio Mahayahay, and two nearby barangays of Tulunan, North Cotabato.

Mendoza led the send-off ceremony in Barangay Maybula together with Tulunan Mayor Lanie Candolada and the town’s local officials and Congressman-elect Jose Tejada of North Cotabato 3rd district last Monday.

In an interview here, she said conflict between the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team and armed group believed to be members of MILF started on May 24 in said villages.

This was followed by skirmishes and encounters which resulted to the death of few individuals and wounded many others. It also resulted to the evacuation of nearly 300 families since the first day of encounter.

Close to 200 families are still currently staying at the Barangay Hall of Maybula after being displaced in the recent fighting.

Mendoza said the fighting must now stop and peace initiatives must now take place.

She believes that the creation of Task Force Barko-barko will end the tension between the warring groups that have already greatly affected the lives of civilians.

The send-off activity was also graced by Brigadier General Cesar Sedillo, Jr., the Chairperson of GPH-CCCH, and his counterpart Abas Rashid of the MILF, Col. Marcos Flores of the 1002nd Brigade of the Army’s 10th ID and North Cotabato Police Director Sr. Supt. Danny Peralta.

Also present were Major General Datu Fadzil Bin Mukhtar, Head of Mission of the International Monitoring Team or IMT and another MILF representative Abas Salung.

It is imperative that government agencies such as the Dept. of Agrarian Reform and Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources must conduct a resurvey of the disputed land, particularly that of Sitio Barko-Barko and Sitio Mahayahay in Maybula, Mendoza said.

She said the national government through the PAMANA program of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Peace Process has allotted a budget for the resurvey and other matters related to land titles verification.

Mendoza ordered the local government of Tulunan to ensure the safety of the evacuees as she assured them that with the joint task force placed in Sitio Barko-Barko, the situation will be normal the soonest time.

She also appealed to the government troops and MILF to respect the peace process and initiatives despite the heightened emotions brought about by the conflict.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=537956