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Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Blast, attack stall Arroyo's Pikit visit
DAVAO -- A landmine explosion and an attack Tuesday, where five soldiers were wounded and an armored vehicle was damaged, resulted in President Arroyo arriving late for her scheduled visit to Pikit, Cotabato and with just a handful of people left to welcome her.
The landmine exploded about a kilometer away from a helipad where Arroyo was to land.
Arroyo was to visit Barangay Bagoinged in Pikit. The landmine exploded in Barangay Bagoinged in Pagalungan, Maguindanao across the river. Bagoinged is a barangay divided by a river and straddles the two towns of provinces of Cotabato and Maguindanao.
Arroyo was to lead Pikit evacuees back to their homes Tuesday, but the enthusiasm among the evacuees soon died down after they saw no sign of the President after waiting for almost three hours. One by one, they left.
President Arroyo did not lead the evacuees home as planned but merely waved to them before leaving, just 30 minutes after she arrived.
Military reports said a group of Marine soldiers on foot patrol hit a landmine around 9:50 a.m. Wounded were Staff Sgt. Rolly B. Goyo, Corporals Marino A. Oglos, Dante A. Samson and Abdulnaser Paraje.
The soldiers were part of a military detail securing the village in central Mindanao.
"We wouldn't want to speculate on who planted the mine," Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, Southern Command spokesman, said.
A helicopter that was to pick up the wounded in the hinterland area was also fired at, while a Simba armored personnel carrier was hit by a rocket propelled grenade at Barangay Cudal in the Kabasalan Complex in Pikit, Cotabato at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The Simba driver was injured.
Arroyo was scheduled to arrive at 1 p.m. at Barangay Bagoinged in Pikit to symbolically lead the evacuees back to their homes. But she only arrived at 3:30 p.m., met with barangay leaders in a small room, went out of the room to wave to the evacuees who were gathered in a nearby hall and left at 4 p.m. BOT/AFP
(April 23, 2003 issue)
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