2 dead, 3 hurt in gov't-MILF clashes in North Cotabato

Tulunan, North Cotabato - An armed barangay “peacekeeper” and an alleged Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighter were killed, with three more wounded, in a gun battle at the hinterlands of Barangay Maybula in Tulunan, North Cotabato at around 4 a.m., on Sunday. Sr. Insp. Ronnie Cordero, chief of the Tulunan's Philippine National Police units, identified the fatality as Dondon Palomo, a member of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) of Barangay Maybula and an employee of a banana plantation also in Barangay Maybula. Rose Abad, a resident of Sitio Saban in Barangay Maybula, confirmed that Palomo was one of their ‘war dogs’ or BPAT member who carried a firearm to protect and secure their village. Palomo’s body was recovered at Purok Malipayon in Barangay Maybula. Also killed during the firefight was an MILF member whose body was recovered in nearby Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat. Three other MILF members were wounded during the fighting, according to Cordero, citing a report from the Columbio PNP. Based on their initial investigation, Cordero said the gun battle started at around 4 a.m. when the MILF allegedly started firing mortars at a 57th Infantry Battalion detachment at around 4 a.m., on Sunday. Palomo’s BPAT group then came to help the soldiers in their fight against the MILF. “There were armed civilians who helped the peacekeeping [Philippine Army] forces because our soldiers were already lacking in number,” said Cordero. While he was running after the rebels, Palomo was shot through the stomach and died due to severe loss of blood. “What happened was, the MILF rebels retreated when they were fired at by BPAT and government soldiers. This was when one of the BPATs was hit,” the police official said. Around 10:30 a.m., on Monday, Army soldiers positioned at the village center of Maybula rushed to Sitio Tuburan after receiving reports that the 57th IB was in a firefight. From 10:30 a.m., until 2 p.m., on Monday, the Army fired at least five mortars in areas where they sighted the armed men. Evacuation Meanwhile, the fighting  prompted nearby residents to flee their homes. Eunice Tadiaque, secretary of Barangay Maybula, said that up to 442 civilians, mostly women and children, evacuated to the village center. Local resident Marivic Saban said that she panicked when she saw several armed MILF gunmen coming down from the mountains waving a red flag. Rose Abad, also an evacuee, just wants the fighting to stop. “We want peace. Please give that peace to us. Our children have not gone to school. We always evacuate. This is the second time that we have left our homes,” said Abad. Last May, hundreds of families also fled to the village center in Barangay Maybula after BPAT members and the MILF clashed in Purok Malipayon. The clashes started when armed BPATs allegedly entered ‘Barko-Barko’, an area the MILF were claiming as part of their “perimeter defense,” while chasing gunmen they believed were responsible for a series of cattle rustling incidents in the area. — DVM, GMA News