Militia goes berserk, kills 5 companions in Zamboanga town

The bodies of slain militias in the town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Jung Francisco).

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 25, 2010) – A pro-government militia went berserk killing five of his companions in an attack at an army detachment in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay, police said Monday.

The weekend attack occurred in the village called Palid in Ipil town and police said the militia escaped after murdering the five men. The motive of the attack is unknown, but police mounted a manhunt to capture Oligario Bucal Jr.

Bucal’s father who is also a government militia said his son ran away with his rifle, the same weapon used in the shootings.

“There is a manhunt and police forces are searching for the suspect,” said Inspector Boni Aranas, the town’s police chief. (Jung Francisco)

CAFGU militia, sabit sa pamamaril sa Mindanao

ILIGAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 9, 2010) – Isang malawak na manhunt ang isinasagawa ng mga awtoridad matapos na mamaril ang isang government militia na ikinasugat ng apat na katao sa Agusan del Norte province.

Sinabi ng pulisya na pinaghahanap nito ang dalawang suspek – isa sa kanila ay miyembro diumano ng CAFGU - matapos na paulanan ng bala ang mga biktima sa Poblacion ng bayan ng Santiago nuong nakaraang linggo.

Hindi malinaw ang motibo ng krimen at inaalam ng pulisya kung may kinalaman ba sa hanap-buhay o away-pamilya ang pinagmulan ng pamamaril.

Inaalam naman ng pulisya kung tunay na CAFGU ang isang suspek, ngunit hindi naman makunan ng pahayag ang Philippine Army sa naturang lalawigan ukol sa pagkakasangkot ng isang militiaman sa krimen.

Naganap ang atake sa kabila ng gun ban na pinaiiral ng Commission on Elections dahil sa nalalapit na halalan. Ngunit exempted naman ang mga CAFGU sa gun ban, ngunit tiyak na sabit ang army battalion na siyang may control sa suspek dahil sa naganap. (May karagdagan ulat si Merlyn Manos)

MILF, Militias Clashed In South RP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 24, 2009) – Moro rebels clashed with pro-government militias in the restive region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front said at least 2 militias were wounded in the fighting that broke out Monday in the village of Santa Clara in Sultan Kudarat’s Kalamansig town.

The fighting also forced civilians to flee their homes. It was unknown what triggered the clashes, but the two groups had been fighting in the past over huge track of lands Muslims claimed their ancestral domain. (Mindanao Examiner)

Militia Kills Superior, Then Shoots Self In Central RP

CEBU (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Mar) – A government militia killed his commander and a civilian before shooting himself an apparent suicide in the central Philippine province of Negros Occidental, police said.

The Philippine Army, which has control over government militias, declined to give any statement about the murder-suicide late Wednesday in San Carlos City.

Police said Henry Daragosa shot Army Sgt. Jerry Cortez and Brian Egloria during a drinking spree while manning their post.

The soldier told Daragosa to get his M16 rifle inside the detachment, but when the militiaman returned, he shot the duo without warning. Daragosa later shot and killed himself using the same weapon.

It was unknown what drove the militiaman to attack his companions, but police suspect grudge as the motive behind the killings. (With a report from Juley Reyes)

CAFGU Militia Killed, 1 Injured In Basilan Attack

BASILAN ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Nov) - Gunmen shot dead a government militia and wounded his companion in an attack in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, a regional army commander said.

Brig. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said the attack occurred on Thursday in the busy business district of Tipo-Tipo.

"Authorities are still investigating the attack, but initial military report said this could be related to family or clan feud. We have soldiers in the area helping police track down the assailants," he told the Mindanao Examiner.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the town is also a notorious stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militants and rebels who had previously attacked government forces. Other reports said the militiaman was shot while buying provision for his unit.

Ferrer did not say whether the slain militia, a member of the army-backed CAFGU (Civilian Auxiliary Forces Geographical Unit), was armed or not.

Vendetta killings is common in Basilan island and other areas in the southern Philippines and the feud would sometimes last for decades unless both protagonists or their relatives agree to a cease-fire brokered by religious leaders and accept blood money as payment for the bloodshed. (Mindanao Examiner)