Monday, December 03, 2007 300 more flee in Surigao By Ben Serrano Caraga correspondent
LIANGA, Surigao del Sur--Another 300 evacuees were reportedly added to the nearly 2,000 evacuees in adjacent San Agustin town who fled the ongoing conflict between the military and the communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels.
These evacuees are residents of Kilometer 22, Anahao Daan, Tago. Meanwhile more than 100 lumad residents of Lagangan went to the Barangay hall in Carac-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur.
The Surigao del Sur Diocesan Social Center, the group Karapatan, and other religious groups like the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) said lumads and settlers in Tago and Cagwait towns left their communities when the 58th Infantry Battalion (58th IB) Philippine Army arrived and stayed in their communities last week of November.
They alleged that guns were pointed at the farmers when soldiers passed by their farmlands and searched their produce.
They also said the soldiers used the houses of residents to camp out.
Military operations led by the 58th IB have continued for almost a month in the hinterland communities of the municipalities of Lianga, San Agustin, Tago and San Miguel, all of Surigao del Sur.
The groups claimed the new batch of evacuees suffered loss of livelihood, hunger, and illness as the barangay government of Anahao Daan could not provide all of their daily needs.
In response, Colonel Jose Vizcarra, commanding officer of the 401st Infantry Brigade, denied the allegations.
While admitting there are ongoing military operations by operatives of the 58th Infantry Battalion in the areas, Vizcarra said these are aimed at "communist rebels who refused to return to the fold of the law."
He said army offensives in the area already resulted to the recovery of four landmines and seizure of firearms, ammunitions and personal belongings left by fleeing communist rebels.
"Subversive documents were also seized by my troops in said areas which a stronghold of our brother whom I requested to surrender and returned to the fold of the law," Vizcarra added.
