BULUAN, MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR — At least 800 families have fled their homes in Barangay Kadingilan, Nabalawag, in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM) due to volleys of gunfire that triggered tension in the community.
The displacement began on Tuesday, a day after the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections last Monday.Authorities continued to monitor the situation following renewed exchange of gunfire reported in Barangay Olandang early Wednesday.
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They are still determining he cause of the gunfire and who could be behind it.Five sitios in Barangay Kadingilan and two sitios in Olandang were among those reported to have been affected by the gunfire and resulting tension.As of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, no casualties were reported.Kadingilan Punong Barangay Saiden A. Alim told radio station Max FM Midsayap that the affected families came from sitios Alamada, Allen, and Lumilis.
Alim said that personnel from the 33rd Infantry Battalion were already in the area and had coordinated with members of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and local leaders to call for an immediate end to the armed confrontation and prevent the situation from escalating.The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Nabalawag were conducting an assessment to determine the condition and needs of the affected residents.Personnel from the 27th and 33rd Infantry Battalions were also deployed in the area as part of the government’s security response.
READ: PNP says polls peaceful in most of BARMM despite ‘pockets of challenges’Nabalawag Mayor Datu Renz Tukuran appealed to residents to remain calm as authorities continued to monitor the situation and respond to the incident.
The displaced sought refuge either at the Datu Guilen Piang High School in Barangay Olandang or with their relatives./coa
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