Howitzers of the Army's 50th Infantry Battalion deployed to Lake Danum in Sagada, Mountain Province are seen in these photos taken on December 4. The battalion has since moved out after the local government insisted on their right to maintain the town as a zone of peace. (photo by Arthur L. Allad-iw, Northern Dispatch)
The Army's 50th Infantry Battalion has pulled out of Sagada town, Mt. Province after local officials insisted on their right to maintain the noted tourist destination as a 'zone of peace' barred to armed soldiers and communist rebels.
The military moved into the town after New People’s Army guerrillas ambushed a convoy of policemen on the boundary of Barangay Aguid, Sagada and Barangay Mainit, Bontoc in August.
After the incident, the Air Force carried out strikes on suspected rebel lairs in Barangay Aguid, which was protested by Sagada residents who said the bombs were falling on a vital watershed and near villages.
On December 2, the Sagada town council unanimously passed Resolution 110-2013 calling on the Army to pull out.
Two days after, council members, led by Vice Mayor Benjamin Capuyan went to the 50th IB camp at Lake Danum to deliver the resolution to battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sibayan but the officer was not around.
But Mayor Eduardo Latawan Jr. and his secretary, Robert Pangod, also called Sibayan to inform him of the resolution.
The battalion has since moved its camp to Babalaan in Tadian town.
The Sagada council’s resolution reminded Sibayan of the long-standing memorandum of agreement declaring the town a zone of peace and the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ commitment to respect this.
The passage of the resolution was prompted by concerns the continued presence of the soldiers would threaten the safety of participants of the provincial scout jamboree held by the Department of Education and the local Pine Tree Festival at Lake Danum from December 12-15.
“Armed conflict would endanger the lives of the participants on the activities and the general public,” the resolution said.
Sagada Councilor Jaime G. Dugao said in an interview that local officials will always assert the right of Sagada to remain a zone of peace.
“It is the will of the umili (residents) in the town,” he stressed.
Earlier, Dugao slammed Northern Luzon Command chief Major General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. for a statement saying Sagada can no longer be considered a zone of peace because the NPA allegedly turned areas in the town into a training ground and staging area for carrying out attacks against government troops.
“Catapang’s statement undermines the people’s quest for a peaceful ‘ili’ (village),” Dugao said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/76830/sagada-insists-town-is-zone-of-peace-drives-army-out
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.