GENERAL SANTOS CITY--Government militiamen foiled on Sunday an attempt by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to harass workers of a private construction firm assigned on a road project in a remote village in Maitum town, Sarangani province.
Major Romel Calamba, the spokesperson of the Sarangani Police Provincial Office, said Monday that nine personnel of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) held off around 20 NPA rebels from a base of Jargon Construction/John Mark Builders in Barangay Zion, Maitum town, in an encounter around 6:50 a.m.
Calamba said the militiamen were securing the heavy equipment and personnel of the two companies when the rebels opened fire at them.
Calamba said a 20-minute firefight ensued, with the rebels, who were reportedly under the NPA’s Guerilla Front 73, eventually withdrawing from the area.
“No one was reported hurt among the CAFGU personnel and we’re still verifying possible casualties from the side of the NPA,” he said in a report.
Around 20 families evacuated from the area as sporadic gunfire can still be heard until Sunday night from the outskirts of the village.
Calamba said the evacuees, who took temporary shelter at the village gymnasium, returned to their homes on Monday morning.
He said joint police and military operations were ongoing against the attackers, who reportedly fled towards the mountainous portions of the municipality. (PNA)
