COTABATO CITY — More than 300 ethnic Tedurays, an indigenous people (IP) in Maguindanao del Norte, were driven away from their ancestral lands by gunmen who shot at their houses before dawn on Sunday.
Brig. Gen. Allan Cruz Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and Major Gen. Alex Santos Rillera, commander of the army’s 6th Infantry Division, separately confirmed the incident on Monday after dispatching teams to Sitio Tubaran in Datu Odin Sinsuat town to investigate.
“We were forced to leave. We have no way but to give in because we can’t fight them. We are unarmed,” a Teduray farmer, who for security reasons asked to be identified only as “Moh Kedew,” told reporters at an evacuation site where they are temporarily sheltered.
Sunday’s strafing of houses in Sitio Tubaran was preceded by incursions by heavily armed men earlier this month into Teduray villages in two barangays in South Upi town, also in Maguindanao del Sur.
Initial investigation showed the assailants were armed with M-14 and M-16 assault rifles. Mr. Rillera said army intelligence agents have listed names of the possible attackers based on the tip of locals and these are now being validated by their police counterparts. — John Felix M. Unson
