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Saturday, May 21, 2005
Surigao Sur evacuees come home, get aid
By Ben Serrano
BUTUAN CITY -- More than 300 residents of Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur have started returning to their homes Friday after the military assured their safety, the regional office of civil defense said.
Regional offices of the civil defense and social welfare here said they already sent relief goods to the evacuees after the Surigao del Sur Provincial Government headed by Governor Vicente T. Pimentel Jr. asked assistance to compliment their own efforts for relief of some 2,000 evacuees.
In a mobile phone interview, Surigao del Sur Provincial Administrator Johnny Pimentel said they are expecting completion of hauling back home evacuees by Monday.
The four-day work in government offices have hindered work in the evacuation, relief and rehab process as they had to wait another Monday before releases of funds for relief operations and even relief goods are to be process.
The military has launched offensives since April 28 in seven hinterland barangays of the municipalities of Marihatag, San Agustin, Cagwait and Lianga, which resulted to the evacuation of residents to safer grounds.
The ongoing military operations have caused charges of alleged disappearances of farmers, tortures and other military abuses in Andap Valley in Barangay Buhisan, San Agustin.
This following discovery of horde of explosives in a cave by the communist guerillas last May 8 after a 25-minute firefight.
Dirty finger
But the military dismissed accusations of human rights abuses and accused the communist rebels and its allied people's organization (POs) of engaging in cheap media propaganda.
They said this is only intended to divert attention of a more complex problem that is the strengthening of communist insurgency movement.
Earlier, the military accused some groups allied with the NPA of dipping their dirty fingers in the propaganda war between the military and the NPA in the Surigao del Sur incident.
Military officials claimed that these NGOs and POs have only aggravated more the problem rather than helping the evacuees and giving relief goods, saying "they instead joined the propaganda war by giving false information to the media."
Army officials here Friday assured Surigao del Sur officials particularly members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council that the more than 4,000 evacuees from seven hinterland villages in four affected municipalities of Surigao del Sur can now return to their respective homes.
Confined
The assurance was made by 58th IB commanding officer, Lt. Col. James Jacob, during an emergency meeting by the Surigao del Sur Peace and Order Council in capital town of Tandag Tuesday morning following reports of alleged atrocities in the areas of conflict between the government troops and the New People's Army (NPA).
Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente Pimentel Jr., who is the regional chairman of the Caraga Regional Peace and Order Council, chairs the peace and order council.
Military officials said operations will continue until communist guerillas will be flushed out in the area following reports of another horde of explosives are being kept by the NPA operatives in the area.
Last week, San Agustin Mayor Manuel Alameda said he is concerned on how to transport the evacuees especially the children in mass to safer place since most of the affected hinterland villages had no passable road.
Because of pressures of work and stress, the San Agustin Mayor is reportedly hospitalized and is now confined at the Butuan Doctors's Hospital Intensive Care Unit, according to the mayor's brother, District Engineer Nick Alameda.
(May 21, 2005 issue)
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