Battle erupts; 100 families flee

From the Manila Standard Today (Jun 2): Battle erupts; 100 families flee

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte—About 100 families fled their homes in the lakeside town of Mainit following an encounter between government troops and the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in nearby barangay last Thursday, city and barangay officials said.

Barangay leader Bae Taglatawan said residents abandoned their homes in the hinterland barangays of Tagbuyawan and Tapian after soldiers killed two rebels in a gunbattle with about 20 rebels in the area.

“Some of them stayed with their relatives in the poblacion and many more occupied the public schools, which serve as temporary evacuation centers,” said Taglatawan said.

Soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division were on patrol when they encountered the rebels. After the firefight they recovered four high-powered firearms and several rounds of ammunition, hand-held radios, food and medical supplies.

A few days ago, soldiers from the 36th Infantry Battalion also encountered a group of rebels in the remote town of Carmen in Surigao del Sur but no casualties were reported. Last week about 97 rebels coming from different parts of Caraga Region surrendered to the military in a ceremony in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.

Mainit Mayor Ramon Mondano confirmed reports of residents escaping from the two barangays but said there was no actual headcount of the number of evacuees because many of them were taken in by relatives in the poblacion.

Nokie Calunsag, coordinator of an environmentalist group Save Lake Mainit Movement, said in addition to the two NPA rebels an unidentified woman was also killed during the fighting.

Lt. Jake Guellega, who led the soldiers during the fighting, said the rebels retreated and scampered to various direction during the fighting that dragged on for more than 30 minutes.

“There were indications that they suffered more casualties based on the bloodstains and personal belongings that they left behind,” Guellega said.

Major General Ricardo Visaya, Commder of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, commended his men and said the encounter was “a result of our commitment to protect the people and secure our environment and keep our5 society from harm against the NPA.”

“We thank the local populace in the area. They provided the necessary information, which led to the successful conduct of our operation,” Visaya said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/06/02/battle-erupts-100-families-flee