Samal fighting displaces 800 families

MALITA, Davao del Sur — About 800 families in eight barangays in the coastal town of Malita, Davao del Sur were displaced by the ongoing joint military and police pursuit operations against the raiders of the upmarket Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Samal Island last Tuesday night.

The displaced families were from Barangays Kidalapong, Bito, Mana, Fishing Village, Culaman, Ticulan, Felis and Tingolo.

Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza said the evacuees were housed in eight evacuation centers, with most of them taking shelter at the gym beside the municipal hall.

Dureza said aside from assistance from the local government unit and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Office of the President shall also extend the necessary help for the evacuees.

Malita Mayor Claude Bautista likewise said the evacuees will soon be sent back to their villages once the military gives the go-signal.

Marina Mulan, 24, a resident of Kidalapong, who was one of those who sought refuge at the municipal gym, said her family had to immediately evacuate to prevent their being caught in a crossfire.

"We were in panic when we heard gunshots, we had to leave our place in a hurry and all I brought with me was a blanket to cover my two-month old baby," Mulan said.

Close to 1,000 military personnel and about 60 policemen have reportedly joined hands in going after the 23 suspects in the Pearl Farm attack that left two people and three others wounded.

Meanwhile, Army Brig. Gen. Alfonso Dagudag, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, told The STAR, there is a possibility that the original team of bandits that raided Pearl Farm have already slipped the combined military and police operations.

In a briefing yesterday afternoon at the Malita Municipal Hall, Col. Pete Magsinot, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade said government forces were expecting positive results as of 6 o’clock last night.

Magsinot said the suspects were last sighted in Barangay Pamongot where the government forces expected to engage them in an encounter last night.

Magsinot also said the pursuing soldiers and policemen were reportedly able to kill five of the suspects but admitted there were no remains to show as proof that indeed the five were killed in an encounter.