The attack forced authorities to temporarily close the strategic highway to prevent motorists from getting caught in the crossfire.
In Manila, President Arroyo ordered presidential assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza, who also heads the government peace panel in the talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), to look into the latest attacks by the separatist rebels, which came after both sides agreed to resume the peace negotiations.
"I’m directing the government panel to verify the incident in the light of this. I will ask the peace panel to verify the facts behind the incident and then make appropriate recommendations," the President said.
Reports from Maguindanao said the MILF rebels, led by Commander Amril Cato Ombra, crawled toward four Army detachments on the roadside in Shariff Aguak and Datu Piglas towns and opened fire with rockets and machineguns.
The military said the soldiers returned fire and the ensuing firefight lasted for hours until the rebels ran out of ammunition and fled to nearby farms.
MILF guerrillas also looted and burned 34 houses in farming communities along the Cotabato-General Santos City Highway in Datu Piang town yesterday.
Among the houses torched were those of former Datu Piang mayor Datu Genuine Kamaong and provincial board member Datu Wata Adzis.
Local officials said owners of the razed houses had been helping the Army monitor the activities of MILF rebels in the community.
Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the arson attack could be aimed at intimidating residents into paying "protection money" to the MILF.
Col. Agustin Dima-ala, commander of the Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade, said troops found during mopping up operations yesterday the bodies of three rebels in Barangay Iginagampong in Shariff Aguak.
The military said the MILF attacked the Army detachments after troops stopped the rebels from robbing motorists along "critical" stretches of the highway.
The attacks have reportedly triggered panic among Muslim residents in nearby communities.
Al-Haj Murad, chief MILF negotiator, warned Tuesday of more attacks on non-military targets "to ease the pressure" on rebel forces at strategic points in Central Mindanao.
Speaking from Malaysia over Catholic-run radio station dxMS in Cotabato City, Murad said the attacks were part of their defensive strategy.
Murad said the real targets were paramilitary forces in populated areas and armed groups supporting the military’s campaign against the MILF.
Civilians who have been killed or wounded in the attacks were "merely caught" in the crossfire. he added.
Senga said the MILF is "venting its ire" on farming communities after suffering heavy loses from the military’s preemptive strikes that foiled two rebel attempts to block strategic stretches of the Cotabato-Davao and the Cotabato-General Santos City Highways.
"These attacks on non-military targets are barbaric," he said. "They can attack military positions if they want and spare the civilians if these rebels are really living up to the image they project that they are revolutionaries fighting for a cause," he said.
Maj. Julieto Ando, military spokesman for Central Mindanao, said around 50 MILF rebels harassed the detachment of the 37th Infantry Battalion in Shariff Aguak at about 4:30 a.m.
Ando said the troops sensed that MILF rebels were in the area and immediately established positions before the guerrillas could bombard them with rockets and rocket-propelled grenades.
"The rebels drew the troops into a running gunbattle," he said.
The rebels eluded pursuing troops and dragged with them their casualties, he added.
In Liliongan, a militiaman was killed and three others wounded after 30 MILF rebels ambushed a 15-man security patrol of the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO) early Tuesday morning.
Killed was Gilbert Ampalit, while the wounded –Lito Ampalit, Gerry Apucalin and Junior Ponce –were taken to San Rafael Hospital in Carmen town.
Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, Armed Forces Southern Command spokesman, said the outnumbered militiamen fought back and drove away the 30 guerrillas led by Commander Pogi Akmad.
Lucero said Army reinforcements failed to catch the raiders who immediately fled the scene.
In Matanog town, three Army engineers were wounded when MILF rebels raided a base of the Engineer Support Battalion along the Narciso Ramos Highway shortly after midnight Monday.
They are Capt. Fernando Joanez, and T/Sgts. Marcelino Valdez and Abubakar Engkigar.
A military dependent, Erlinda Nicolas, was also wounded in the firefight.
They were airlifted to the 6th Infantry Division hospital in Camp Siongco.
Despite the attack, Col. Eduardo Lena, commander of the Army’s 54th Engineering Brigade, said they will intensify "confidence-building maneuvers" with Muslim residents of Camp Abubakar, the former MILF stronghold.
"We will not retaliate, we will not harbor any animosity towards the people in Camp Abubakar for what happened. It’s our duty to develop their communities and such attacks are part of the risks accompanying our peace-building tasks," said. — With reports form Marichu Villanueva, Roel Pareño, Christina Mendez, Sammy Santos