Samar villagers flee homes

TACLOBAN CITY — An ongoing military offensive against New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas has forced more families in remote villages in Basey, Samar to flee their homes.

According to the Basey municipal government, the new wave of evacuees, numbering more than 300 families or 1,500 people, came from the barangays of Mabini and Manlilinab, more than 15 kilometers away from the poblacion (town proper).

Earlier, about 2,000 villagers fled their homes in the barangays of Lanaga, Cancaiyas, Cogon, Mabini, New Agustin Bulao and Buenavista and packed the municipal auditorium.

They agreed to return home last Thursday afternoon after local authorities assured them of their safety.

One of the evacuees, Julita Mabag, told The STAR that fear had gripped her and her neighbors due to repeated gunfire in their community.

Col. Manuel Ramos, commanding officer of the Army’s 46th Infantry Battalion based in Basey town, admitted that his troops have launched an offensive against NPA rebels in the hinterland villages.

Col. Joel Cabides, deputy commanding officer of the Army’s 80th Infantry Brigade based in Hinabangan town, said the military operation is part of internal security measures against what he described as the increasingly alarming insurgency problem in Samar.

Cabides said he believes that the military’s "enemies" merely ordered the residents to evacuate and allege abuses by soldiers in their communities.

"You know what, these are old tactics under the NPA rebels’ black propaganda against the military organization, even to the point of using children," he said.

Dinao Ragub, information officer of the Samahan Han Gudti nga Parag-uma (Sagupa), said the villagers were forced to flee their homes due to the soldiers’ alleged abuses and human rights violations and the growing militarization of their communities.

Cabides, however, urged the new batch of evacuees to return home, assuring them that they would not be harmed in the course of the "legitimate" military operation against the insurgents.

Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., commanding officer of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the offensive was prompted by a recent NPA ambush in Basey town that left two soldiers and a civilian dead and five others wounded.