Governor to escapees: Surrender or die

COTABATO CITY — North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol warned more of the 48 fugitives could be killed in the coming days if their families and relatives still refuse to turn them in.

Piñol also appealed anew to the remaining inmates who bolted from the provincial city jail in Kidapawan last week to surrender peacefully.

"The police and the military in North Cotabato will not hesitate to kill them if they resist arrest and initiate actions that would put the lives of pursuing policemen and soldiers in danger," Piñol said.

Army troops gunned down one escapee Saturday and recaptured two others in Barangay Pedtad, an isolated district in Kabacan.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based here, said the soldiers were about to arrest the fugitives who instead opened fire, provoking a 30-minute gunbattle.

Authorities identified the slain fugitive as Indong Taligapen, said to be a gun-for-hire facing 20 murder cases.

Piñol said the North Cotabato provincial government will award corresponding citations to the soldiers that neutralized Taligapen and recapturing two other inmates, Lando Serrano and Johnny Maanib.

The three were among 48 inmates that bolted last week after 25 heavily armed men raided the North Cotabato provincial jail in Kidapawan City in a daring mission to spring out three suspected bombers.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was initially accused behind the attack but it was denied by the Muslim rebel group, which even offered to track down the fugitives.

The MILF blamed the Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom group led by Tahir Alonto for the attack.

Piñol issued a "shoot to kill" directive to the police to take down any of the 48 inmates if they resist being recaptured.

Piñol issued the directive after Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Calderon ordered the Central Mindanao police to "apply the full force of the law" to recapture the escaped prisoners.

Calderon said the police are authorized to shoot down any of the escapees only if they resist arrest and fight it out with the authorities.

The military is under strict orders to notify first the MILF if any of the escaped prisoners are seen in their areas.

This is to avoid possible encounters with MILF fighters in areas under the ceasefire agreement with the government.

Army Brig. Gen. Edgardo Gurrea, head of the government team to the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) with the MILF, said the ongoing sporadic clashes with the MILF will not affect the ongoing peace negotiations.

Gurrea explained the existing ceasefire mechanism prevents the possibility of the peace talks collapsing.

He said that even the assault on North Cotabato provincial jail would not affect the peace talks.

"Whatever are the skirmishes, we make sure that these are immediately contained so that the peace negotiation would collapse," Gurrea said.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu also stressed the peace talks would continue despite the occasional exchange of fire between the two forces in certain parts of Central Mindanao.

Kabalu said the CCCH with the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team on the ground are immediately checking out the reports of sporadic skirmishes with the military.

Kabalu, meanwhile, said both panels are still awaiting word from the Malaysian government on the continuation of the peace talks.

"Both panels have not received any advice yet from the Malaysian government. I think the schedules not only of the two panels but also that of the Malaysian officials have to be reconciled first," he said.

The government and the MILF panels have yet to resume informal peace talks after the negotiation reached an impasse last September following strong disagreements over the issue of ancestral domain claims. – With Edith Regalado