Army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc said in a statement Friday that three companies from the 4th Special Forces Battalion, 4th Scout Ranger Battalion and Division Reconaissance Company have been deployed “to continuously scour the forests of Sumisip to locate the rebels and arrest them.
“We will ensure that the innocent and hapless civilians will be protected from these notorious criminals who insist to disturb the peace,” he added.
The Abu Sayyaf group under sub-leader Radzmil Janato was tagged as behind the incident.
“We are also maintaining our presence in the Basilan Circumferential Road project,” he said it is important to secure the project because it will benefit thousands of people in remote villages.
Meanwhile, soldiers and policemen are securing registration centers all over Basilan for the General Voters Registration prior to the ARMM elections next year,” he also said.