GENERAL SANTOS CITY–At least 101 families from two remote communities in Tboli town in South Cotabato, who were displaced by the clashes on Tuesday between government troops and suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, have returned to their homes, a town official said on Thursday.
Bary Lugan, the Tboli town information officer, said the evacuees from Sitios El Lubog and Blangas in Barangay Kematu were cleared by the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion (IB) to return home on Wednesday afternoon.
Lugan said the two sitios were not directly affected by Tuesday’s encounter in the vicinity of Sitio Lemtineneg in Kematu.
Fighting erupted in the area at past 11 a.m. after patrolling troops from the 27IB chanced upon about 30 armed rebels from the NPA’s Front 73.
The rebels eventually retreated after a 40-minute battle, leaving their newly-established encampment and some supplies behind.
Lugan said the pursuit operations continued until Tuesday afternoon, prompting the local government to evacuate some 37 households or 173 individuals from Sitio Lemtineneg.
“But those in adjacent sitios (Blangas and El Lubog) began to panic when they saw us evacuating some residents and eventually joined them out of fear,” he said.
A total of 138 households or 657 individuals, including 222 children, from the three sitios evacuated due to the incident, with 258 coming from Blangas and 226 from El Lubog
As of Thursday morning, Lugan said the clearing operations by the 27IB is still ongoing in the hinterland portions Sitio Lemtineneg.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office provided relief assistance comprising food packs and infant kits to the evacuees in coordination with the municipal government. (Frances Kristine Alvero/PNA)
