Heavy mortar shelling frightens, kills Ustadz

DATU PIANG, Maguindanao (MindaNews/21 April) -- An ustadz allegedly suffering from nervous breakdown caused by heavy artillery shelling launched from the command post of the 54th Infantry Battalion here, died Monday in front of his students.

Ustadz Ayub Guiamlod, 53, died around 10 a.m. in front of his students at the Jamaatul Jabar Madrasah, near the Datu Saudi Uy Ampatuan Compound evacuation center in Datu Piang, Maguindanao. His students said he fell to the floor trembling upon hearing the second round of artillery fired that morning.

Saida Kamid Guiamlod, Ustadz Guiamlod’s wife, said her husband was about to open their door around 5:30 a.m. when a loud blast awakened them. She said he then ran to his relatives at the evacuation center Datu Gumbay Piang Elementary School.

Saida followed her husband to a bunkhouse inside the evacuation center and saw him trembling in fear. She brought him to a private clinic also in the town and found out that his blood pressure shot up.

But after few minutes the ustadz decided to go to his class at the madrasah, as his students were waiting for him.

Around 10 a.m., the 54th IB launched another artillery shell creating a loud blast that sent him to the floor shuddering. He was already dead when Saida arrived at the madrasah.

Musib Uy Tan, executive assistant of Datu Piang Mayor Samer Uy, said that the military fired a 155mm artillery shell. He confirmed that the series of shelling on Monday was heavier than the previous one.

Tan said the shelling targeted Barangays Ganta, Bakat, Kinaladan, Penditen all of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Dasawaw in Datu Piang. He said the military conducted operations in these areas due to the alleged presence of Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels under Commander Ameril Umbra Kato.

One hundred forty-seven families from Ganta and Bakat fled their homes and sought refuge in Datu Piang.

Tan said they were still locating and listing the names of the new evacuees to see if there was a need to open another evacuation center. He said some of them sought refuge with relatives in Datu Piang. (Sittie Sundang/MindaNews contributor)

Soldiers accused of mauling 3 children

DATU PIANG, Maguindanao (MindaNews/03 March) -- Three children and a 25-year-old resident of barangay Duaminanga here alleged they were mauled Sunday by soldiers in Lumopog, Midsayap, North Cotabato.


Cousins Norhad Datukan, 14, Mamandok Edza, 10, Mohamidin Edza, 13, and Ebspangga Edza, 25, went to Lumopog around 3 p.m. to get their banca when two soldiers came and accused them as members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s 105 Base Command under Ameril Umbra Kato.

Datukan told MindaNews that one of the military men slapped his face twice while his wrists were tied and his eyes blindfolded with packaging tape.

“Sabi nila kinukuha daw namin ang bangka ng mga MILF,” (They said we were getting the boat of the MILF), he said.

Mohamidin was reportedly blindfolded and tied in the wrists, too.

Mamandok kept on crying out loud while his cousins were forced to admit that they were MILF members. Around 6 p.m., his father, Maston Abton Edza, came over to check on his son and nephew and saw them near the riverbank.

Mabuti na lang dumating ang tatay ko para sundan kami dahil matagal kaming hindi nakabalik,” (It was good that my father came because we were unable to return immediately) Mamandok said.

The soldiers, reportedly a composite of the 7th IB and 40th IB, took Ebspangga and eight other eight civilians who were constructing the Lumopog Elementary School.

He said the eight civilians were handcuffed, blindfolded, mauled and exposed to the rain for 30 minutes.

He said the military men held them for one night and released them 10 a.m. the next day.

Relatives brought Ebspangga to the Rural Health Unit here where he was found to have multiple abrasions on both wrists, soft tissue contusions on left shoulder and limitation of movement due to the incident.

The victims were evacuees who sought refuge here but had returned to Duaminanga, a seven-minute ride by banca to Lumopog.

The four victims and their families fled back to the evacuation center in Datu Piang after the incident. They had only stayed in their place for two weeks.

Lt. Col. Dickson Hermoso told MindaNews he has "no idea about the alleged incident because Lumopog is in Midsayap and my men are deployed in Pigkawayan." The 4oth IB chief could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, 57 families from barangays Montay and Balong in Datu Piang fled once again to the town’s evacuation center in the wake of aerial bombardment and mortar shelling in Kabuntalan, a town in Maguindanao adjacent to their barangay.

Barangay Captain Blaem Edza of barangay Balong said they returned home on November 9 last year.

He, however, said the military operation against the MILF rebels in the area forced them to seek help from Datu Piang Mayor Datu Samer Uy, Al-haj.

He said the mayor immediately sent them five motorized banca which brought them to Mubarak mosque in Datu Piang.

Barangay Captain Edza said that while they were navigating the river the men removed their clothes and waved to the helicopters and fighter planes as a sign that they were civilians.

“Takot na takot kami na baka kami mapagkamalang rebelde tulad ng ibang insidente,” (We were so afraid of being mistaken as rebels like in other incidents) he said.

He said the Reconnaissance Company of the Philippine Army arrived Sunday in Kabuntalan and started dropping bombs and firing artillery in the area.

He said there were less than 50 families left in Balong.
Col. Jonathan Ponce, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, told a radio station in Cotabato City they were launching a pursuit operation against the MILF group under Ameril Umbra Kato in some areas of Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

But MILF leader Ed Kabalu said there was no exchange of fire between the rebels and government troops in Kabuntalan and barangay Lomopog and Sambolawan in Midsayap. (Sittie Sundang/MindaNews contributor)

'Bakwit' killed in grenade blast

DATU SAUDI AMPATUAN, Maguindanao (MindaNews/14 February)- A 53-year old evacuee was killed in a grenade explosion here Wednesday night.

Kugo Guiamo, 53, an evacuee sheltered at s bunkhouse in Barangay Ilian, Datu Saudi Ampatuan was sitting at the balcony of the house of Barangay Captain Habie Matilendo at around 7 p.m. Wednesday when unidentified armed men lobbed a grenade.
The blast killed Guiamo.

A portion of the balcony was destroyed.

Matilendo said in an interview that they did not expect the incident to happen because there was no threat against him or to Guiamo, "wala kaming alam na dahilan para tapunan kami ng granada dito sa compound ko” (we don’t know why they would lob a grenade in my compound).

Matilendo said the incident took place a night after he ordered the evacuees to remove their makeshift bunkhouses along the highway of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, in response to the order of the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Matilendo clarified they are not suspecting the evacuees whose bunkhouses were removed, to be behind the grenade-throwing. “We explained well to the evacuees the DSWD order before we had them removed.”

Some evacuees have returned home while others were moved to vacant lots four meters away from the highway.

Zalika Kugo, daughter of Guiamo told MindaNews his father, a member of the civilian volunteer organization but who was already inactive when they became evacuees, was the breadwinner of the family. Zalika has five other siblings. She said no assistance has been given her by the local government.

Police are still investigating the case. (Sittie Sundang/MindaNews contributor)

"We did not coerce IDPs to return home"-- says 54th IB PA and local government of Datu Piang

DATU PIANG, Maguindanao- Local Government Unit (LGU) of Datu Piang and 54th Infantry Battalion of Philippine Army belied reports that they forcibly ordered internally displaced persons (IDPs) here to return to their respective barangays.

According to 1ST Lt. Randy Sta. Maria, Civilian Military Officer (CMO) of 54th IB PA based in Datu Piang, there was no order from national government or from the battalion to send IDPs back to their barangays. He said they only encouraged IDPs to return home from areas that they declared safe and under their control, "we even provide vehicle for those IDPs that are willing to go back home but we never force them to do so."

He said that in their meeting with the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) compose of the local government and barangay captains in Datu Piang they declared five safe barangays and under their control. The identified safe barangays in Datu Piang are Dado, Liong, Masigay Alonganen and Balanaken.

Musib Tan, the mayor's assistant in Datu Piang said, they did not coerce the IDPs to return to their barangays but they encourage IDPs to go home to those identified by the military as safe barangay as ordered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) national office, "If the barangay is really safe we encourage IDPs to return to their homes."

He said the DSWD told them that at least 20% of IDPs could return to their respective barangays every month.

Presently, four evacuation centers are closed in Datu Piang and these are Evangelical Church, Meedo Multi-purpose building, Mubarak Mosque and makeshifts built under the bridge.

Kabiba Mohammad, one of the IDPs sheltered at Datu Gumbay Piang Elementary School said, they were told by an official of Datu Piang to return to their home four days ago but they remain in the evacuation center.

Mohammad said they are afraid to return to their homes due to presence of military forces in their barangays, "natatakot kami na baka magkaputukan uli at maipit kami sa labanan," she said.

She added that they cannot also return to their home because their house in barangay Balanaken is ruined by bullets wrought by fighting between the government troops and the MILF rebels.

In local radio station in Cotabato City, Chief of Staff Alexander Yano said there was no directive from Malacañang ordering the IDPs to return to their home as reported in both local and national dailies.

Chief of Staff Alexander Yano belied reports that IDPs in Maguindanao were ordered to return to their despite volatile situation in the province. He said there is no directive from Malacanang that DPs should return to their home.

14 January 2009

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Partners,

Greetings of Peace!

On 20 June 2008 the strongest typhoon “Frank” hit the country. It claimed more lives of Filipino, millions of crops were devastated and houses were swept away by landslide. Among the affected were people in the provinces of Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan. However, humanitarian organizations were committed to help the communities affected through relief supplies, medical missions and others. Mindanao Tulong Bakwet (MTB) is among the organizations that exerted all of its effort to generate funds for the victims.

To help the victim rebuild their lives, MTB wrote to international organizations and concerned groups. Fortunately, German Embassy through German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) provided food items and the Save the Children Federation supplied non-food items to flood victims. The Embassy of Japan gave 52 units of temporary shelter to 52 families whose houses were swept away by strong landslide in Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan. There were 20 temporary shelter constructed in one relocation site in Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan province. The other 32 temporary shelters were constructed in Talayan, Maguindanao.

This is to shed light on the issue coming out that there were members of Civilian Armed Forces Geographic Unit (CAFGU) allowed occupying the temporary shelter. These temporary shelters are intended for typhoon “Frank” victims whose houses were flounced by landslide wrought by the strongest typhoon in municipalities of Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan. Through the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM) the municipalities of Talayan and Sultan Kudarat were identified.

The identification done by the local government units of these two municipalities and DSWD-ARMM of beneficiaries of the said temporary shelters includes process. Only residents in affected municipalities identified by LGU and DSWD-ARMM whose houses were totally wrecked by landslides are allowed to occupy the structures.

Therefore, regardless of religion or political affiliation provided your house is swept away by typhoon “Frank” in Talayan, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan you are allowed to shelter in the structure temporarily.

We hope with this statement, issue coming out regarding the 52 temporary shelters in Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan will end here.

Thank you and more power!