Probe sought into alleged NPA raid on MNLF farm

KIDAPAWAN, Philippines – The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) urged authorities on Saturday to investigate the alleged harassment of a group of armed men who identified themselves as members of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) in a town in North Cotabato. Datu Dima Ambil of the MNLF Sebangan Kutawato State Revolutionary Committee (MNLF-SKSRC) in North Cotabato said eight armed men wearing military uniform ransacked on Friday last week the farm house owned by a tribal group in President Roxas town, North Cotabato. Ambil said the farm lot is a livelihood project of the MNLF in North Cotabato manned by tribal people who are all MNLF members. “The suspects destroyed the bamboo fence of the farm lot that housed 33 cross-bred goats. The goats would be dispersed to our people in the area," said Ambil in a press statement. Ambil said the farm caretaker, awakened by the noise created by the entry of the armed men, was surprised to see rifles aimed at him. When the caretaker asked who they were, the armed men identified themselves as NPA members and that they only wanted his rifles and mobile phones. Ambil said the armed men took from his caretaker a 12-gauge shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver. The armed men fled toward the boundary of the villages of Tuael and Mabuhay, both in President Roxas, and killing a pregnant Anglo-Nubian-bred goat and caused wounds on six other farm animals when the armed men struck the animals with hard objects. Ambil said the MNLF project in President Roxas was funded by the North Cotabato provincial government and the United Nations’ World Food Program. “We, the MNLF, denounce this kind of violence. We also urged other pro-poor NGOs and other peoples’ organization to condemn the same," Ambil said as he urged police to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident in order to unmask the perpetrators. Ambil complained that a week has passed now but the police has yet to furnish him a copy of their investigation. Malu Cadeliňa Manar, GMANews.TV