FLEEING
FOLKS --- Residents from Barangay Camutan
in Antipas, North Cotabato evacuated to safer areas after communist rebels
occupied their villages and forced them to leave. (Contributed by media partner – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)
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NORTH
COTABATO ---Communist rebels occupied an upland barangay in Antipas town of
North Cotabato on Thursday last week and forced hundreds of villagers
to leave at gunpoint.
Provincial
and municipal education officials immediately decided to shut down all schools
in Barangay Camutan in Antipas and evacuated school children to safer areas.
Antipas
Mayor EgidioCadungon confirmed the occupation of Barangay Camutan by hundreds
of New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas who arrived there at past 6:00
a.m. that Thursday.
Barangay
officials said the NPAs immediately looted houses, collected money from
villagers, and took their farm animals.
Army
and police intelligence units have to validate reports purporting that the NPAs
are holding 70 residents captive, to be used as “human shields” if the military
will drive them away.
Barangay
Camutan is a hinterland barangay close to mountain ranges where there is heavy
NPA presence.
The
first to evacuate immediately after the NPAs arrived in Barangay Camutan were
47 families driven away at gunpoint after having been robbed of their money,
wristwatches, farm tools, clothes, and livestock in their yards.
The
rebels also ransacked and took goods for sale in sari-sari stores abandoned by
owners.
Cadungon
said the attack also caused panic in neighboring barangays.
Barangay
officials sent emissaries to the rebels to convince their commanders to set
their hostages free.
Clearing operation
As
of Friday last week, government troops have been clearing a village of Antipas
town in Cotabato province that communist rebels had occupied and where they
supposedly held civilians hostage.
Senior
Inspector Rolando Dillera, police chief of Antipas, said the military “is
pushing away the rebels and clearing the area (of) landmines” the New People’s
Army guerrillas may have planted as they withdrew.
Dillera
said a total of 181 families from SitiosMalapangi, Embagan, and Matias in
Barangay Camutan and SitioPatot, Barangay DatuAgod have fled to evacuation
sites in the center of Antipas.
There
was no word on whether this number included the estimated 100 residents of
Malapangi authorities earlier accused the rebels of holding as “human shields.”
Nevertheless,
he said no civilian or government casualties have been reported since the
rebels occupied Camutan at dawn Thursday.
Dillera
said fighting marked by grenade explosions broke out around 7 p.m. Thursday
after what he described as failed efforts by local government officials to
secure the alleged hostages’ release.
Mayor
EquidioCadungon, who temporarily suspended classes in the affected communities,
said he was still awaiting clearance from security officials before sending the
evacuees home.
A
military report said a Commander Joel of the NPA’s Guerilla Front 53 led the
occupation of Camutan. (Media partner
& PNA– MINDANAO EXPOSE’)