Hundreds displaced after Himamaylan clashes

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – At least 700 individuals or more than 100 families were evacuated from Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental following two clashes with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) last Thursday.

Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said that residents were transferred to the evacuation centers to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

As of 3 p.m. Friday, affected residents were still at the evacuation centers, according to Pasaporte.

They will remain in their temporary shelters until the area is cleared of the threat from the enemies, he added.

Troopers of the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) clashed with at least 20 unidentified armed men at Sitio Sig-ang in the village last Thursday.

Reports circulating on social media claimed that two children were killed in the two clashes.

But Pasaporte denied such report, saying that there was no body count in the area.

The following day, another clash occurred between the 62nd IB and suspected NPA rebels in the said village.

Pasaporte, along with Lieutenant Colonel Van Donald Almonte, 94th IB commander, aboard Philippine Air Force Blackhawk aircraft, conducted aerial reconnaissance in encounter site areas in Himamaylan City yesterday.

It aims to provide real-time information to ground force commanders and to have an accurate view of the encounter site, especially in the areas of Barangay Carabalan. It is also a way to further assess the ongoing troops operation.

Mayor Raymund Tongson Jr. ordered the suspension of classes in Barangays Carabalan and Cabadiangan on Friday, Oct. 7 until further notice, due to the insurgency situation.