School buildings torched in Maguindanao Norte, Comelec says; strafing send 300 men fleeing in DOS
NDBC BANTAY HALALAN 2023 • 18:30 PM Sat Oct 28, 2023
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez and John Felix Unson
This is what left of a school building in Rumirimbang Elementary School in Barira, Maguindanao Norte. (Photos courtesy of Comelec
COTABATO CITY – Unidentified men set ablaze early today the school building in Barangay Rumirimbang, Barira, Maguindanao Norte, the Commission on Elections today said.
Quoting a report from Comelec-Maguindanao del Norte, Election Chair George Erwin Garcia has confirmed that men torched the Rumirimbang Elementary School in Barangay Rumirimbang, Barira at about 2 a.m. Saturday.
The Tiyakap Kalilintad Iranun cluster monitoring team reported that responding local officials and police found pieces of knapsacks and empty gasoline containers near the school, an indication it was intentional.
Tiyakap Kalilintad (Care for Peace), a local volunteer peace monitoring team, said the school is “zone of peace” in Barira.
Garcia also said that a school in Lanao del Norte was also torched intentionally.
He assured that the Barangay and SK elections in these areas will push through as scheduled.
Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said about 4 a.m. Saturday, firemen in Datu Odin Sinsuat also managed to immediately douse off the fire that hit a classroom in the Central Pilot Elementary School in Barangay Dalican.
Nobleza, citing an initial report from the Datu Odin Sinsuat MPS, said the fire that partially damaged the school building started at its windows with wooden jalousies.
Nobleza said policemen teams and BFP fire probers are still trying to determine the causes of the fires that hit the two school campuses.
In Barangay Ambolodto, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, gun fire was also reported at about dawn Saturday.
No one was reported injured in the incident but it sent about 300 individuals fleeing to safer grounds, the Tiyakap Kalilintad said. The evacuees have returned home with the deployment of soldiers and police backed by armored personnel carriers.
On Friday afternoon, armed followers of Mayor Sidik Ameril of Talitay town in Maguindanao del Norte, and members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) traded bullets near the mayor’s home.
At least three civilians were also injured.
“I don’t understand why the MILF is targeting us,” Mayor Ameril said, adding that the armed skirmishes was triggered by a misunderstanding among teenagers in the village.
No word from MILF leadership as of posting.
