Local officials has denied that a mosque was shot at or burned during a clash with rogue MILF groups in Daliao village, Maasim town, Sarangani.
A report from the Sarangani Provincial Information Office cited Daliao barangay captain Abdulrajes Pangolima as having said that the mosque referred to in reports was far from the encounter site.
Pangolima narrated that, after coming from the mosque, residents told him about the presence of the military heading to sitio Macao. After 20 minutes, gunfire were heard.
The village chief said residents who witnessed the incident told him that it was a group of armed men who first fired shots at the military. “Reports that the mosque was hit are mere speculations,” he said.
He, however, urged the military and rebels to stay away from communities and bring their clashes to remote areas. “It would be best if civilians are not affected,” he said in the vernacular. (PIA/Bohol)
