Land feud sparks CVO-MILF clash in Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY – A land dispute led to an armed encounter between members of the Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO) and suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in a barangay in Pikit, North Cotabato, a police official said on Sunday. Senior Inspector Elias Dandan, chief of Pikit police, said the fighting in Barangay Macabual, which occurred at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, stemmed from the claims of the families of both Jalandoni Matalam Akas, a village official, and Tungko Sawali Asim, an alleged MILF commander, that they are the rightful owners of a property in the area. CVOs are civilians armed and deputized by the government as force multipliers in rebel-infested provinces. Lt. Col. Domingo Gubuay, commander of the 7th Infantry Battalion, said Akas led the CVOs in the encounter against Asim’s group. Gubuay said the clash occurred while the CVOs were conducting patrol operations in Barangay Macabual in response to information regarding possible rebel attacks in some barangays in Pikit and Aleosan towns. Hundreds of villagers evacuated to the adjacent barangays of Calawag, Gli-Gli, and Balong, all in Pikit, because of the encounter. The fighting on Saturday came two days after CVOs and MILF rebels clashed along the boundary of Barangay Dungguan in Aleosan and Barangay Langayen in Pikit. Two CVOs were killed and some 500 residents evacuated as a result of the fighting. Gubuay said additional troops have been sent to the area. - Malu Cadelina Manar/KBK, GMANews.TV