Military official debunks reported clash in Carigara
CEBU, Philippines - Colonel Rafael Valencia, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, yesterday debunked reports about an encounter between rebels or armed looters and government troops at Carigara town in Leyte, about 50 kilometers from Tacloban City.
Valencia said he sent Major Mendoza, ex-com of the 19th Infantry Battalion in Kananga town, to check the reported encounter.
Mendoza came back with his official report saying the report was negative. The military has put up two platoons to secure the area. Even the reported fire in a house in Barugo, a town next to Carigara, was not true.
"Sana naman mapalabas nyo (The Freeman) ang totoo," Valencia said, because, "nagkakagulo na ang mga tao because of these false reports (from others)."
Valencia said that, yesterday morning, when Secretaries Voltaire Gazmin, Mar Roxas and Dinky Soliman visited Ormoc, they were even pleased on how city residents were handling the situation. There was none of the hopelessness and lawlessness haunting Tacloban at this time.
The "rumor," as what Valencia described it, came in the heels of reports that a group of looters and robbers were already eyeing Ormoc City as their next target.
The looting in Tacloban for food and water had shifted to hitting appliance stores and other outlets of non-food items.
Two days ago, Clyde Geli of Catbalogan City in Samar, posted on his Facebook site that people in her city were getting unruly, Stolen tv sets, motorcycles, etc., were being sold in that city at dirt-cheap prices. (FREEMAN)
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