Negros Occidental residents flee from "pirates"

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Still struggling to rebuild their lives from the devastation wrought by typhoon Yolanda, villagers of two cities and a town in Northern Negros Occidental braced themselves for another attack, "pirates."

About 200 residents of Punta Roma in Brgy. Old Sagay of Sagay City fled their homes Friday night following reports that "pirates" have "invaded" their village and were killing people.

The following day, the scare spread to residents of neighboring Lakawon Island in Cadiz City and Manapla town.

The rumors said the pirates, who also reportedly hit Bantayan Island in Cebu, were fugitives who escaped from the Tacloban City jail at the height of the devastation of Yolanda.

Radio reports said residents heard sounds of approaching pump boats at night, and women and children spent the night at a school house while the men armed themselves with bladed weapons to protect themselves from an "impending attack."

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Manapla Mayor Lourdes Escalante dismissed the reports on pirates as "false alarms," and urged residents not to believe it.

Marañon assailed some media outlets for giving out false information, adding that "the report came from a radio station in Iloilo City."

He said: "I appeal to our friends in the media to verify first before reporting." He said the rumors on pirate attack had caused panic among residents in the cities of Sagay and Cadiz and Manapla town over the weekend.

The governor further said that rumors may have come from "unscrupulous individuals who plan to loot houses when residents flee the area." He declared, "There are no pirates," adding that it was only misinformation and speculation.

"My advice to the people is to verify the reports first with the police," Marañon said. "It's hard to convince people to evacuate if there is a typhoon but this pirate attack, which is too far-fetched, they believed it," he added.

Escalante, for her part, said the police confirmed that there were no sightings of pirates in the area, whatsoever. "I told the people not to believe those rumors because these are not true," she said. (FREEMAN)