A fresh wave of fighting between Army soldiers and an
unidentified armed group triggered a new round of evacuees in this town on
Friday.
Marihatag Mayor Allan Pelenio told a Senate Committee on
Justice public hearing in Tandag
City
Pelenio said he sent two trucks to fetch the residents from
three sitios from Barangay Mahaba and from the village’s central area.
“There is nothing left there right now except stray dogs and
untended pigs,” Barangay Mahaba Kagawad Alejandro Sanchez said.
Sanchez said they fled their villages after a fresh wave of
fighting erupted between soldiers and armed men believed to be New People’s
Army rebels.
He said they could hear the fighting getting nearer to their
houses so they decided to flee Thursday night.
Benny Kanon, 64, however, said they saw members of the
Bagani terror group led by Bobby Tejero, suspect in the Sept.
1 killing of a school director and two lumad leaders in Lianga, Surigao
del Sur.
Kanon said Tejero and the Bagani groups came after the
soldiers arrived in their village on Thursday and demanded that the
villagers identify NPA members among them.
“We have to flee because we do not want to become their
victims,” he said.
Senator Teofisto Guingona said the Philippine National
Police and the Army should arrest Bobby Tejero, his brother Loloy Abab Tejero
and Garito Layno to restore the confidence of the lumads.
“The name of Bobby Tejero is already enough to trigger a
mass evacuation. They should be arrested. This is step no. 1 to restore the
confidence of the lumads,” Guingona said.
Police have filed murder charges, grave threats and arson
against the suspects for the killing of Emerito Samarca, 54, executive
director of the Alternative
Learning Center
The PNP and Army have formed Task Force Bangkaw (Spear) to
immediately arrest the suspects.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/10/02/skirmishes-trigger-more-evacuations-in-surigao-sur-town/
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