DAVAO CITY – Amid police assurance that the situation in Pikit, North Cotabato is still under control, the atmosphere of fear still reigns among residents.
Many residents are still afraid of going out of their houses because they feel that they could be the next victim.
Last week, two minors were gunned down by still unknown assailants while three others were wounded in separate shooting incidents in a span of two days.
Cotabato Provincial Police Office director Col. Harold Ramos assured on Friday, Feb. 17, that the situation in Pikit remains manageable.
Ramos added that combined police and military forces have intensified security measures in the locality.
However, amid his assurance, residents are still fearful that assailants could still strike again anytime.
At Pikit National High School, only 600 students
attended classes on Monday, Feb. 20. The school has a total population of about 4,000 students.
Abdulkadir Buda, PNHS principal, told Manila Bulletin that they understand the concerns of parents.
Buda said many of the students who did not attend classes on Monday were from remote barangays, particularly in the marshy areas of Pikit.
Amid the situation, the school official said that classes are still ongoing. "We just consider the reasons of those who cannot attend classes."
Buda added he has requested his fellow teachers to encourage their students to attend their classes.
"We know that our security forces are doing their best to secure the people. We trust them," he said over the phone.
Buda said police have now secured roads leading to interior barangays.
Over the weekend, the school's Facebook page was flooded with comments from parents saying that they are not sending their children to school yet over their safety.
The local government of Pikit suspended classes from Feb. 15 to 17 due the shooting incident on Valentine’s Day. Police said the fatality was a student of PNHS.
Buda admitted that he also has some fears but as a teacher and as a leader of the school, he has a duty to perform. "Of course, I'm also scared but I need to be brave because I have a duty to perform," he said.
An elementary teacher told Manila Bulletin that only few pupils also showed up at Pikit Central Elementary School.
"There are classrooms that the pupils are just two, some are five and some are seven. We cannot blame them," she said over the phone.
The teacher added that they cannot blame the parents for not sending their children to school.
Another resident of Pikit told Manila Bulletin that many of them still avoid going out of their houses. "Since the killings happened last year, I have not seen the public for a long time already," she added.
The resident, now in her 50s, admitted that she has never felt this scared before. "I've never felt this paranoia even during the height of wars here in Pikit in early 2000s. The people here are scared of going out of their houses because we felt they we could die anytime," she lamented.
An eatery owner also lamented that their customers had diminished due to spate of shooting incidents last week.
Over the weekend, pictures of the almost-empty public market were making rounds in social media.
Some residents who are living in the southern part of the municipality had to travel to nearby towns of Aleosan or Midsayap towns in North Cotabato to buy food supplies.
Those in the northern part of Pikit opted to buy food supplies in Kabacan town, also in North Cotabato.