FRIGHTENED LEARNERS. Students and teachers of Lucso-an Elementary School in Placer town, Masbate province, kneel down to hide after hearing bursts of gunfire between government troops and New People's Army (NPA) rebels on Wednesday (March 22, 2023). Classes have been suspended in elementary and secondary schools in four towns in Masbate province due to a series of armed encounters. (Screengrab from a video courtesy of Marlen Alerta Betonio)
LEGAZPI CITY – Face-to-face classes have been suspended in elementary and secondary schools in four towns of Masbate province due to ongoing clashes between government forces and New People's Army (NPA) rebels.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Department of Education in Bicol (DepEd-5) Regional Director Gilbert Sadsad said schools in the affected areas will be closed for in-person classes until the situation normalizes.
"I got the information from the school superintendent, about the series of incidents.. hindi lang doon, halos sa ibang barangay nagkakaroon ng encounter..(not just there, but also in other barangays where encounters are monitored). So I instructed the superintendent to suspend the classes and give the self-learning modules (SLM) to be answered in their respective homes," Sadsad said.
He also instructed DepEd Masbate to conduct debriefing or psychological first aid intervention for the learners affected to address their fear as a result of the encounters.
"When we say suspend, we suspend the face-to-face classes only but the learners will need to study and answer the SLM given to them," Sadsad said.
Mayflor Marie Jumamil, DepEd-Bicol information division chief, said the affected local government units (LGUs) are the towns of Placer, Dimasalang, Uson and Cataingan.
She said the affected schools, as reported by the school division office (SDO) Masbate, are the "towns of Placer and Dimasalang -- all elementary and secondary schools; for the town of Uson -- the elementary schools of Eugenio C. Clores Sr., Badling and Miaga; and for the municipality of Cataingan -- all elementary and secondary schools located in the barangays of Aguada, Concepcion, Curvada, Domorog, Gahit, Madamba, Malubago, Matayum, Mintac, Pawican, Poblacion, Quezon, San Pedro, Sta. Teresita, Sto. Niño and Tagboan."
In an interview, Maj. Frank Roldan, 9th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) chief, said the clashes started last Monday.
On Wednesday morning, he said two soldiers of the Philippine Army's 2nd Infantry Battalion (2IB) were wounded in an encounter with more or less 11 NPA members at Barangay Locso-an in Placer town.
"The wounded soldiers are now in stable conditions. They are Private First Class PFC Mardie J. Lumapag and Private Angelito G. Tabanao. The gunfight happened after the 2IB troops responded to residents' information regarding armed men's posting paraphernalia about the NPA's upcoming anniversary on March 29. But even before they even got close to the area, five improvised explosive devices exploded which caused panic among the residents and students in the area especially since the scene of the incident was near a school," Roldan said.
He said the NPA intentionally carries out attacks in public areas, particularly near schools, which results in trauma, especially among the youth and not mindful of the possibility that innocent individuals might get hurt.
Lt. Col. Malu Calubaquib, Police Regional Office-Bicol (PRO5) spokesperson, said two police officers were wounded in an explosion incident that also resulted in an encounter in Dimasalang town.
"The victims were identified as Police Staff Sergeant Leo P. Almario II and Patrolman Jasper R. Gigante of Dimasalang Police Station, while on mobile patrol upon reaching Purok 2, Barangay Gaid, Dimasalang, Masbate, they suddenly stopped upon seeing a tarpaulin of a communist terrorist group (CTG) at the side of the road. A sudden explosion occurred followed by a burst of gunfire from the unidentified CTG members. The firefight lasted for more than five minutes," she said.
Calubaquib said personnel of the Dimasalang police station together with the Provincial Mobile Force Company in the area are now conducting a pursuit operation.
Early this week, a soldier was killed in a clash with NPA rebels in Barangay Villahermosa, Cawayan town, also in Masbate province. (PNA)
