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By Al Jacinto, Correspondent
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Suspected Moro rebels killed a civilian and wounded
four others in a raid on a southern Philippine village, officials
said Tuesday.
Officials said about 20 Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) gunmen raided the village of Labungan in Datu Odin
Sinsuat town in Maguindanao that resulted in the death of a
15-year-old boy identified as Marlon Solis. Solis died on the spot
after sustaining gunshot wounds in different parts of his body.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman of the
Army’s 6th Infantry Division, identified the wounded civilians as
Antonio Ato, 29; Ann-Jie Ato, 22; Veronica Fernando, 54 and
11-year-old Jocelyn Olis.
Ponce said the attack was triggered by the
failure of the RDI construction firm to pay extortion money. He
revealed RDI executives received an extortion letter two days before
the raid. During the 30-minute encounter, the Moro rebels also
burned a P7-million backhoe owned by the construction company.
MILF commanders Tess Ambolodto and Sahban
Gampong were tagged responsible by local officials for launching the
raid at the construction company located at Sitio Andong, a known
Christian community in Datu Odin Sinsuat.
Col. Ernesto Aradanas, commander of the Army’s
603rd Brigade, said they have been receiving reports that the rebels
staged the attack to intimidate the construction company
implementing concreting projects on the Cotabato-Lebak Highway in
Barangay Labungan, some 10 kilometers from the headquarters of the
Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
Aradanas dispatched a platoon-sized contingent
from the 6th Infantry Battalion to Labungan to track down raiders,
but the MILF denied the accusation.
“We have nothing to do with it,” said Eid
Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.
Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the
restive Muslim autonomous region, a known stronghold of the MILF,
the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence
the past three decades.
Manila’s peace talks with the MILF collapsed
in August last year after the rebel group accused the Arroyo
government of reneging a Muslim homeland deal initially signed by
both sides in Malaysia.
The Supreme Court said the agreement was
unconstitutional.
-- With Julmunir I. Jannaral
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