122 families flee Army, NPA clashes in Ifugao

By Kimberlie Quitasol

ASIPULO, Ifugao -- Military operations against New People’s Army rebels here displaced at least 122 families caught in the crossfire, authorities since June 1.
    Myla Dulnuan, Asipulo Municipal Social Welfare and Development officer, said most families evacuated to the Namal Elementary School in Barangay Namal while some stayed at the Pula barangay hall compound.
    “We cannot assure the safety of the villagers should they go back. We asked them to refrain from returning to the forest just yet,” Dulnuan told this writer in a text message.
    She said some villagers wanted to return home, as some have gardens near the forest.
    “But we told them to prioritize their safety,” Dulnuan said.
    The villagers began to leave their homes on May 23 when government troops from the 54th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the communist guerrillas engaged in a 20-minute firefight in Namal.
    Capt. Karol Jay Mendoza Jr., 54th IB civil-military officer, said the rebels from the Guerrilla Front-Abra-Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur chanced upon the Army soldiers resulting in the gun battle.
    The rebels later withdrew, reportedly dragging along their wounded comrades.
    According to the Army, government soldiers later secured the place and overran the rebel camp.
    Another firefight erupted between government forces and the NPA in Namal on May 24, which wounded a rebel.
    Army soldiers seized three high-powered guns and various war materiel after the clash.
    On May 29, a rebel was killed in another gun battle between the two camps in Namal.
    Lt. Col. Franz Josef Diamante, 54th IB commander, said Army soldiers encountered 15 rebels in Sitio Binangyuyaw.
    “The soldiers retaliated and killed one of the rebels,” Diamante said.
    According to the military’s Northern Luzon Command, pursuit operations were underway.
    Dulnuan said the Asipulo local government had been providing food to displaced villagers.
    She said the local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development also distributed hygiene kits and food packs to the evacuees.