By Edwin Fernandez
COTABATO CITY — Military and police forces launched a manhunt for armed men spotted in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, on Sunday night, prompting nearly 200 families to evacuate.
Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said in a radio interview Monday that authorities are addressing the situation seriously as soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Battalion, supported by armored personnel carriers, were deployed to Barangays Malingao and Balong.
Shariff Aguak Mayor Akmad Ampatuan led the distribution of relief goods to displaced families.
Residents of the two villages fled their homes after heavily armed men were sighted around 7 p.m. This marks the second evacuation in less than a week, as the same villagers fled on March 6 due to similar threats.
No hostilities have occurred, but residents chose to evacuate to avoid potential clashes between the armed group and government forces.
“It is so hard for me and my family to evacuate because we are observing Ramadan,” one resident said in a radio interview. (PNA)
