A soldier, Sgt. Philip Pedregosa, of the Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion, and four MILF rebels were reportedly killed in the firefight, which forced some 500 families to flee their homes.
Contrary to earlier reports, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the incident was not a direct confrontation between military and MILF forces, but stemmed from the killing earlier that day by militiamen of two Moro rebels identified with a rival of the barangay chairman of Dapiawan in Datu Saudi Ampatuan.
Police confirmed the killing of MILF guerrillas Mohammad Kahal and Bara Udtog by followers of the barangay official, who is also the commander of the village militia.
"When the relatives of the victims tried to retrieve the cadavers of the victims for them to be buried according to Muslim tradition, a showdown ensued between them and the militiamen in the area. A firefight erupted which, unfortunately, also involved the soldiers responding to the scene," Kabalu said.
He said Kahal and Udtog were both engaged in livestock trading and went around Datu Saudi Ampatuan and adjoining towns.
"It is high time for the police, the military and the MILF to band together and reconcile the differences of the barangay chairman in Dapiawan with some of his relatives in the MILF," Kabalu said.
He said Benjie Midtimbang, who chairs the MILF ceasefire committee, is now initiating moves, along with his government counterpart, to defuse tension in the area.
Midtimbang said relatives of Kahal and Udtog have agreed to leave Dapiawan and allow government and MILF negotiators to settle the conflict peacefully.