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9 killed, 22 hurt in gov't-MILF encounters in North Cotabato


MANILA, Philippines — The death toll from the recent fighting between government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces rose to nine as of Saturday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. In its report as of 6 a.m. Saturday, the NDCC said 22 persons were wounded while 113 houses were burned during the fighting, which started last weekend. At least 24,623 families or 164,973 persons from 64 villages in nine towns in three provinces had been affected, while 66 evacuation centers now host 6,467 families or 32,335 persons. On the other hand, diseases have begun to rear their heads in evacuation centers in Pikit and Libungan towns in North Cotabato. These include fever and cough, headache, loose bowel movement, acute bronchitis, viral influenza, urinary tract infection, and infectious diarrhea. NDCC's report identified the dead as Army Pfc. Bacani (killed in action), Roquita Calesara, 62 (multiple gunshot wounds), Lucio Pano, 83; Isidra Pano, 81; Dulcito Pano, 32; Tinoy Balisera, 78; Cpl. Angelo Abito, Tapkia Said of the MILF and an unidentified MILF member (all killed in action). The three members of the Pano family were from the town of Pikit, where 71,967 villagers who fled the fighting were still in 31 evacuation sites as of Saturday. A report of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) said remaining evacuees from 10 villages of Pikit were still in 31 evacuation sites. The local government said more than 80,000 have already left the evacuation sites after the military and police declared that it’s safe to return home. Provincial social worker Virgilita Guilaran said that most of those still in evacuation sites are Maguindanaon Muslims. “They would rather stay at the evacuation center than be killed or suffer more," said Guilaran in an interview over Catholic-ran dxND in Kidapawan. Some of the displaced families have nowhere to go, a priest said. “Their houses were burned, their farm animals taken, so where will they go?" said Fr. Eduardo Vasquez, OMI, director of the Inter-Religious Dialogue of the Immaculate Concepcion Parish in Pikit. The PSWDO noted that in addition to the burned houses, evacuees have also reported 50 cattle and farm animals, hundreds of poultry and palay threshers were stolen. In other towns affected by the war, such as in Pigcawayan, Midsayap and Aleosan, about 70 percent of the evacuees have started to rebuild their shattered homes and salvage what was left of the wars, Guilaran said. In Aleosan, about 550 families from three evacuation sites have returned home; 100 families in Pigcawayan; and more than 300 in Midsayap, the data showed. Guilaran said her agency is already running out of funds to support the needs of the evacuees. “We’re so thankful other agencies and NGOs are extending help to us so that the evacuees can survive in the evacuation sites," said Guilaran. Other than the provincial government, the United Nations World Food Program, Notre Dame System, and other relief institutions had given assistance to the internal refugees since Wednesday, she said. With a report by Malu Cadelina Manar, GMANews.TV
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