MILF detains man who strays into Mamasapano village during ‘walkathon’

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 105th base command arrested on Wednesday night a man for suspiciously roaming around Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, site of the carnage that claimed the lives of 44 Special Action Force men of the Philippine National Police on January 25.

The man identified himself as Allan Masayon, 40, who claimed he was from Barangay Mambutangan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

He was held briefly and investigated but later turned over by the MILF to the joint ceasefire monitoring post in Tukanalipao and eventually to the police on orders of 105th base Commander Zacaria Goma, according to Diokarno Gandawali of the MILF ceasefire monitoring member.

Gandawali said local residents have been on guard since the bloody incident on January 25 that left 44 elite police force, 18 Moro rebels and five civilians dead.

“People here are very alert following the incident, every new face is closely watched,” Gandawali said.

Instead of holding the man or subject him to interrogation to extract information from him why he was in Tukanalipao, Gandawali said the man, who wore maong pants and black long sleeve, was not harmed but handed over to the ceasefire monitoring team and to the police.

Masayon said he was unaware he was in Barangay Tukanalipao, a place he has not been to or known since birth. He did not know it was the site of bloody clash either.

“I attended a walkathon and the message tells me I should go here,” Masayon told the MILF who surrounded him at gun-point at past 9 p.m. The rebels suspected he was a spy gathering information for the government.

The MILF thought the man was mentally disturbed because of his hard-to-believe statement, Gandawali said.

On orders of Goma, Masayon was turned over to the local government on humanitarian considerations.

Gandawali said the locals have been aware of all the “new faces” coming and visiting the clash site.

More than one week after the bloody carnage, Gandawali said the MILF remained suspicious there could be another SAF survivor still within the vicinity.

Masayon is now in the custody of the Mamasapano police.