In a press statement issued today, Datu Dima Ambil of the MNLF Sebangan Kutawato State Revolutionary Committee (MNLF-SKSRC) in North Cotabato said eight armed men clad in military uniform ransacked on Friday last week the farm house owned by a tribal group in President Roxas, North Cotabato.
Ambil said the farm lot is a livelihood project of the MNLF in North Cotabato manned by tribal people who are all MNLF members.
“The suspects destroyed the bamboo fence of the farm lot that housed 33 cross-bred goats. The goats would be dispersed to our people in the area,” said Ambil.
The farm caretaker, awakened by the noise created by the entry of the armed men, was surprised to see rifles aimed at him.
When the caretaker asked who they were, the armed men identified themselves as NPA members and that they only want his rifles and mobile phones.
Ambil said the armed men carted from his caretaker a 12-gauge shotgun and a .38 caliber revolver.
The armed men fled towards the boundary of the villages of Tuael and Mabuhay, both in President Roxas but struck the animals with hard objects, killing a pregnant Anglo-Nubian-bred goat and injuring six other farm animals.
Ambil said the MNLF project in President Roxas was funded by the North Cotabato provincial government and the United Nations’ World Food Program.
“We, the MNLF, denounce this kind of violence. We also urged other pro-poor NGOs and other peoples’ organization to condemn the same,” Ambil said as he urged police to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident in order to unmask the perpetrators.
But even after one week Ambil said the police has not furnished him a copy of their investigation. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)
