By BEN SERRANO
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents
BUTUAN City–A member of the police’s Regional Police Safety Battalion and at least two rebels were hurt as government forces out to save two abducted soldiers and the New People’s Army (NPA) clashed in Sitio Tud-ol, Barangay Tungao, this city.
In a report, battalion commander Supt. Chito Bersalona, said the encounter took place on Friday when his men were on patrol as part of rescue operations for the two soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Battalion who were seized by rebels in Barangay Olave, Buenavista Agusan del Norte in April 3.
Pfcs. Glen Austria and Diven Tawide were reportedly conducting civil-military operations in Buenavista when some 50 suspected NPA rebels abducted them.
Rebels also seized three policemen the same day in Bukidnon and in Misamis Oriental.
The five have remained captives at presstime.
Bersalona did not identify the wounded but police said authorities seized the following after the exchange of firepower: a shotgun, a caliber .45 pistol, blasting caps, bandolier, flashlight, subversive documents and two black backpacks with personal belongings.
In another development, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas in northern Mindanao, and the Misamis Oriental Farmers Association (Mofa) have accused soldiers from the 58th Infantry Battalion of harassing villagers Salay, Misamis Oriental.
Inreneo Urdabe Jr., chairperson of the KMP in the region, said some two thousand villagers, mostly farmers, took part in what was supposed to be a dialogue at the town hall because they wanted to air demands like supplies of rice, seeds and fertilizer, and other government aid in view of the dry spell.
Urdabe said soldiers from the 58th Infantry Battalion went to the houses of farmers, and warned them against demanding for government aid, and against using the drought as an issue against the government.
He identified some of the farmers who were threatened: Eddie Sacay, Domingo Marianas, Padon Rodriguez, Cesar Balangaio, Kim Villacarlos, and Myrna Remadia.
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