BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Philippines—Some 270 persons, most of them children, have fled their homes as government forces backed with helicopter gunship bombed rebels positions in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte.
Dr. Natty Castro, spokesperson of the militant human rights group Karapatan-Caraga, said a total of 276 persons, including 189 children, have been displaced since clashes broke out in the village of Bangayan on Sunday.
Castro said the civilians were forced to abandon their homes for fear of being caught in the crossfire as fighting raged between the rebels and government forces.
The evacuees have been temporarily housed in makeshift tents in the town center of Kitcharao, she said.
Castro blamed the ongoing evacuations to rampant militarization in several resource-rich areas in the region particularly in Zapanta Valley in Agusan del Norte and Andap Valley complex in Surigao del Norte .
She claimed the troop deployment in Kitcharao was part of the “clearing operations” in order to pave the way for the entry of foreign mining firms. She added this was similar to what happened last week in San Agustin and Lianga, Surigao Del Sur, where some 155 families or 1,085 individuals were displaced.
The Surigao evacuees returned home last Friday after the military agreed to pull out their troops from their villages.
“The military was deployed to suppress protest among lumad communities and pave the way for the entry of the foreign mining companies,” Castro said.
Maj. Eugene Osias, spokesperson of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro, acknowledged the renewed displacement of civilians but said such was only “temporary.”
“It’s true there was evacuation but it’s only temporarily. The number of evacuees is lower than provided by Karapatan, it’s only 25 families,” Osias told the Inquirer by phone.
He, however, debunked Castro’s claims saying the entry of mining investments in the region was their objective
“The entry of mining firms is none of the army’s business, it’s of other government agencies. There’s no such thing as clearing operation for mining firms,” he said.
He said troops were hot on trail against the band of rebels who attacked three mining sites in Taganito town in Surigao del Norte last month when they figured in clashes with rebels in the area.
One soldier was killed and four others, including a Scout Ranger officer, were injured in Sunday’s clashes, Osias said.
Helicopters gunships have to be dispatched to support ground troops as the rebels, holed up in their mountain lairs put up fierce resistance, Osias said.
Osias believes that National Democratic Front spokesperson for Mindanao Jorge Madlos was in the site of encounter citing the level of armed resistance displayed by the rebels in the area.
“We believe Madlos was in the area that’s why his followers are hell-bent in protecting him by fiercely resisting our troops,” Osias said.