John Birondo, Advocacy officer of the Center for Rehabilitation of Children, said Friday that the children are still in a state of shock.
Birondo said four-year-old Mimi would wake up in the middle of the night, start crying and call for her father. She was also wounded during the incident.
"This is clearly a land issue. Something that should be discussed by adults. But it has placed children in considerable risk. We do not know at the moment what is the extent of the damage but for sure these children have suffered and may possibly be scarred for life," Birondo said.
He also lamented that such a disagreement is all because of vested interests of a few people and it caused trauma to a child.
For this, Birondo called for the withdrawal of armed groups in the area.
"Wala man sila'y natabang. Mahimo pa hinuon silang accesory sa pagbuhat sa dili maayo. Naghatag pud sila ug risk na sulungon ang lugar sa kalaban. Mga bata ra gihapon mag-antos (The auxiliary group there did not contribute to the growth of the area. They even became accessories in a wrongdoing while giving their opposing groups the motive to attack the place due to their presence. In the end, it will be the children who will suffer)," Birondo said.
