AFTER the rebel attack earlier this week, the military has reportedly intensified its offensive in Abra.
Imelda Tabiando of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) has confirmed the ongoing airstrike over Malibcong town, Abra.
Tabiando said sources on the ground have confirmed 14 bombs from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been unloaded since Thursday morning causing a continuous forest fire as a result of the bombings.
“There were eight in the morning and another four in the afternoon,” Tabiando said.
The CHRA reported the bombs were dropped from military choppers over Malibcong town.
The Mabaka Banao Gubang Tribal organization said bombs were dropped in Barangay Lat-ey by two AFP fighter planes affecting farms and forests.
As forest fires continue, the CHRA reported 56 families have been affected.
Tabiando said the Department of Education has suspended classes in elementary and secondary schools in Malibcong since Monday due to ongoing fire fight between government troops and communist terrorist.
Tabiando said there are neither casualties nor injuries reported to the CHRA as of press time.
Abra is still on full alert after an ambush wounded five policemen at the start of the week when members of the New People’s Army ambushed the convoy of Abra Police Provincial Director Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum.
The NPA has since acknowledged the attack as well as the raid at the Malibcong Police station carting away police ammunition, uniforms and commutation equipment.
The PNP as well as the AFP has not confirmed the ongoing airstrikes.
Just a note of caution. The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) is a regional Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) human rights front organization and is a member of the main CPP national-level human rights umbrella group KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights). Statements issued by these groups are almost always slam the Philippine military for alleged HR abuses.
ReplyDelete