INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines — A military operation that started on Tuesday at the boundary of Lupon and Banaybanay in Davao Oriental has decimated the remaining 11-member New People’s Army in the area after five of them were killed and another surrendered, a top military official said.
Capt. Arthur Garidan of the Army’s 701st Infantry Brigade said on Wednesday that a highly mobile group of 11 members under Front 18 were monitored in Barangay Mahayahay in Lupon when a military unit supervising the development activities in the village clashed with them.
In a mobile phone interview, Garidan said three members of the group were also killed in the encounter, and it also resulted in the recovery of four firearms.
Garidan assured the civilians in the area that the pursuing soldiers would protect them from the rebels.
“We will continue our efforts in running after them and in protecting our civilian populace,” he said.
The military operation prompted Mayor Lemuel Ian Larcia of Banaybanay to suspend classes for two days until Sept. 15 in four villages of the town.
But in a phone interview, Larcia that he was set to lift the order on Wednesday as the clash had gone far from residential areas.
“We just released an order to ensure that the civilian population was safe,” he added.
He pointed out that the town had always been peaceful, but the armed group used it as its escape route from the pursuing soldiers.
Following Executive Order No. 35, Larcia directed the heads of schools in Barangays Paniquian, San Vicente, Mahayag, and Causwagan to protect the residents, especially the children, from getting caught in the crossfire.
The order covers five elementary schools, a high school, and a branch of the Davao Oriental State University.
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