Unidentified suspects kill 3, burn coop in Surigao del Sur hinterlands, authorities hunt suspects

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 2): Unidentified suspects kill 3, burn coop in Surigao del Sur hinterlands, authorities hunt suspects

Armed suspects raided a cooperative, burned it, stabbed a victim and shot two others dead before fleeing the area Tuesday morning at an interior barangay of a coastal town in Surigao del Sur, police reports said.

Reports from Surigao del Sur Police reaching the regional headquarters here on Tuesday said that at 5:30 a.m., an undetermined number of heavily armed group raided and set on fire the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADev) Cooperative located at Km. 16, Diatagon, Lianga in Surigao del Sur.

The incident was reported by village councilman Mecias Avila to Lianga Municipal Police Station.

Avila said that the suspects stabbed the school director identified as Emerito “Emok” Samarka and shot two civilians identified as Dionel “Onel” Campos and a certain Onellio Senso. The three victims were all dead before the armed suspects fled the area.

According to the initial police investigation, the damage in the incident was about PHP.5 million as the cooperative's building was totally burned including some goods and sacks of rice.

Surigao del Sur Police had already dispatched a special operations team who coordinated with another team from the Philippine Army to proceed to hunt the perpetrators of the incident. The authorities, together with the local government unit and the barangay residents retrieved the bodies of the victims.

Meanwhile, troopers of the Cagayan De Oro-based 4th Infantry Division, along with the Philippine National Police (PNP), are now conducting pursuit operations against the lawless band who killed three unarmed civilians and burned two cooperative stores in Lianga town, Surigao Del Sur Monday early morning.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, 4th Infantry Division public affairs office chief, said based on initial investigations, an estimated 20 bonnet-clad men, burned the cooperative's two stores and killed the three civilians for still unknown reasons.

402nd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Isidro L. Purisima ordered the 75th Infantry Battalion to pursue the suspects.

“We have immediately sent troops to closely coordinate and assist the PNP on the conduct of investigation regarding the burning and killing incident. We shall not let these criminals roam around and threaten the peace-loving people of Surigao del Sur. We will let them face the crimes they’ve committed,” he added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=799390