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SOME 52 families from an outlying village in Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental, evacuated to the capitol grounds here, and sought the help of provincial officials because soldiers were allegedly harassing them.

Authorities counted some 252 people, including many children, at the capitol grounds.

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The evacuees are from Sitio Kamansi, Barangay Banlay, Lagonglong in Misamis Oriental, and are led by their barangay chairman, Uniforte Redondo.

Emeliza Culita, spokesperson of the Tagtabolon Tribes Association, alleged the villagers fled their homes because soldiers from the Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion were allegedly harassing them because they were suspected to be coddling New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

Culita said the soldiers occupied their village at around 5 am on Thursday. By 10 am the same day, villagers started fleeing their homes to Balingasag town.

She said the villagers walked for hours.

The evacuees arrived at the capitol aboard trucks at around 2 am yesterday.

Lt. Patrick Martinez, Camp Evangelista’s acting spokesman, dared Culita to prove her accusations against soldiers.

“If that is true and if they can establish that, the soldiers can be dismissed from the service,” Martinez said.

Martinez said the soldiers merely went to the area for clearing operations in preparation for the ceremonial switch-on of an electrification project of the capitol and the National Electrification  Administration (NEA). –nitz arancon

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