DAVAO CITY – The National Democratic Front alleged that a recent government air strike has “killed three civilian T’bolis, including one woman.”
Ka Efren Aksasato, spokersperson of the National Democratic Front – Far South Mindanao Region, in an emailed statement said that “the death of three NPA (New People’s Army) members is a big lie.”
In a national newspaper report August 19 quoting Captain Rey Balibagoso, spokesman of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade, the Army said “troops from the 27th Infantry Battalion encountered the insurgents in Sitio Datal Halek, Barangay Tudok, T’boli” last August 17.
Quoted in the said report, Balibagoso civilian “spotted the three casualties when the NPAs were retreating,” he said, as he disclosed that “helicopter shots proved fatal for the rebels”.
Another tabloid newspaper report the same day, it said that one “amasona (woman guerrilla)” and two men from the T’boli tribe were “buried” in the boundary of Barangay Tudok, T’boli and Sitio Kulonbong, Barangay Lumo in the neighboring town of Maasim.
Aksasako and the other reports did not name the alleged killed persons.
Meanwhile, Aksasato said one soldier was killed and six others were wounded in three operations conducted by separate NPA units.
He said “two government troops were wounded when a team of operatives from the the Mt. Alip Command – Front 71 of the NPA lobbed a grenade at a detachment of the Police Public Safety Company of the Philippine National Police in Barangay Santa Cruz, Tampakan, 4:30 am of August 15.”
Aksasato also said that the “Julito Banda Command – Front 73 units of the 27th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Tudok followed up a harassment by 10:30 am of August 16 in the same barangay wherein four soldiers were wounded and one was killed.”
“It was because of their loss that the AFP conducted bombings of mountainous areas of T’boli in August 16,” he said.
Aksasato said that in August 21, the NPA also simultaneously attacked a detachment of the 27th IB in Sitio Blit a “peace and development operation” (PDOP) unit in Sitio Tawan Dagat, in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu.
Aksasato accused the PSC-PNP and the 27th IB as “active defenders of the large-scale mining of Sagittarius Mines Inc., who operates the gold-copper project in Tampakan.” (davaotoday.com)
