Amid BIFF attacks, AFP to deploy more troops

MANILA, Philippines - Additional troops will be deployed to Central Mindanao as the military braces for more attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

“We are deploying additional forces even during the holiday season,” Army Chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año told reporters on the sidelines of ceremonies marking Rizal Day yesterday.

Año said members of the 57th Infantry Battalion would be deployed to Davao del Sur and the Cotabato region to safeguard communities, particularly in North Cotabato.

“While we are not seeing any full-blown conflict, it is better to be always prepared,” he said.

Over 1,000 families affected by violence in several towns in Central Mindanao are spending their New Year in evacuation centers, the Office Civil Defense (OCD) reported on Tuesday.

Rommel Sinarimbo, OCD deputy operations officer in Central Mindanao, said 252 families are staying in an elementary school in Barangay Bes in Midsayap, North Cotabato for fear of being caught in the crossfire between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the BIFF.

Sinarimbo said groups of the MILF, led by a certain Magadta, and an alias Kulilong of the BIFF have also been fighting due to rido or clan war.

In Pigkawayan town, 206 families fled their homes in Barangays Simsiman and Malagakit since Dec. 24 in the wake of the BIFF’s attacks on civilians.

“The situation remains volatile in the two villages and it is not advisable for the residents to return to their homes,” Sinarimbo said.

In Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, 365 families, who are residents of Barangays Paitan, New Panay and Gamalia, have evacuated to the town’s gymnasium to escape harassment from BIFF gunmen.

Thirty-eight families from Barangay Kauran and Barangay Banaba in Datu Abdullah Sanki, Maguindanao are staying in an evacuation center.

“We are closely monitoring the development on the ground,” Sinarimbo said.

Meanwhile, Davao City has been placed under red alert since Monday due to reported security threats, said Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr., Davao City police chief.

Danao said they received intelligence reports that lawless armed groups, which have not been identified, plan to launch attacks in the city. – With Edith Regalado