Gunmen torched 10 houses in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, March 9.
TRANSPORT terminal in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur. (Wikipedia)
Shariff Aguak Councilor Datu Oping Ampatuan said a group of gunmen arrived and set the houses on fire.
The owners fled to safer areas as the gunmen arrived.
“I pity our brothers and sisters who have to endure the pain of fleeing even at night while observing the fasting month,” the councilor said in a radio interview on Tuesday, March 11.
Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the 33rd Infantry Battalion has deployed a quick reaction team to hunt the gunmen.
The gunmen have been harassing Barangays Malingao and Balong as residents marked the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, 601st Infantry Brigade chief, condemned the attack.
Catu said they are pursuing the arsonists and deployed a sizable force supported by armored personnel carriers to the area to maintain peace and ensure the safety of residents.
The military in coordination with the local government has provided humanitarian aid to displaced families.
Authorities have yet to identify the gunmen but they are an armed group operating in the province.