Cotabato village placed under ‘state of calamity’

KIDAPAWAN CITY --Village officials in Matalam, North Cotabato had declared a ‘state of calamity’ due to continued armed skirmishes between two warring Moro clans that started two weeks ago.Chairman Felipe Maluenda of Barangay Kidama said the declaration of state of calamity will give them authority to use part of their calamity funds for relief operations.Maluenda admitted there is no guarantee yet that it is already safe for evacuees to go back home.Some 115 families left their village after two warring Moro clans – one coming from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the other from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) clashed on Dec 31 last year due to a long-standing land conflict.At least six died and three others were wounded as a result of the skirmishes.In Pikit, also in North Cotabato, two residents of Barangay Rajamuda were killed and two others were wounded after they were hit in cross fires last week, the town’s disaster management officer said.Tahira Kalantongan, head of the Pikit Municipal Disaster Risk and Reduction Management (MDRRM) office, said one of those killed was a mother who was about to leave home when the clans started exchanging fires.Also, one of those hit by stray bullets was a 10-year old boy who was also running for his safety at the height of the fighting. Kalantongan said it is not yet safe for their evacuees to go back home. Residents are still panic-stricken and the place is not yet conducive for their abode,” said the MDRRM officer.