Monday, December 9, 2013

Local officials urge AFP:Leave Sagada

Ready to fire. AFP artillery at Lake Danum, Sagada.
 (Photo by  Gina Dizon)
By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Members of the Sangguniang Bayan led by Vice Mayor Benjamin Capuyan issued a resolution urging members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to deployed at vicinity of Lake Danum to pull out from Sagada.

In their resolution requesting the AFP to pull out from Lake Danum, located within the boundaries of  Sagada and neighboring Besao town, the legislative officials said the presence of the soldiers may result in armed conflict endangering the lives of participants of the provincial scout jamboree set Dec. 12-15 at Lake Danum area.

Earlier, Capuyan with some members of the Sangguniang Bayan and officers of the Department of  Education visited the soldiers  and told them to leave to ensure safety and security of the people of the town especially farmers and  tourists trekking the mountainsides.

In an interview with 2nd Lt Col John Chester Dalit, commanding officer of the 503rd company stationed at Lake Danum, Dalit said their presence in the area was up to the decision of officials of higher command when they will leave.

The 503rd Infantry Brigade with headquarters at Lagangilang, Abra is headed by Col Paul Atal.

Other government armed forces are stationed at Lasig at the northern part of Lake Danum and at Ampakaw within the vicinity of the Smart telecom tower site located a few kilometers away at the southern side of Lake Danum.

On Nov. 16, civilian Raymund Bacali and a certain Robin from Bangaan were on their way home from  small scale mining at the boundaries of  Abra and  northern  Sagada when they  were held as  guides by  government  armed forces to lead their way.

Bacali along with two other soldiers were wounded when New People’s Army rebels sniped at them at Sitio Amtinangad, Ambagiw, Besao. 

Earlier, the Sagada local government unit officials led by Mayor Edwardo Latawan entered into a memorandum of agreement with the AFP represented by Lt Col Richard Sibayan of the  50th Infantry Batallion for the local chief executive to take the lead role in internal peace and security operations. 

The proposed agreement by the AFP was amended by the Sangguniang Bayan officials with the provision to respect Sagada as a peace zone. 

Sagada as a peace zone was established in 1989 by the people  of  the tourist town following the bloody death of three children – one caught in a crossfire and two caught in gun shooting of drunk soldiers within the  market compound October 1988 at the height of insurgency and bloody AFP-NPA encounters .  

The 1989 peace zone arrived at by an angry and grieving community who emphasized no armed groups- from both the military and NPA rebels should stay within the territory of Sagada.  

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