Hundreds flee Army, NPA war in remote areas nationwide (tags)
The ceasefire declared by the military isn’t holding as hundreds of villagers fled remote communities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that have turned into battlegrounds between communist guerrillas and government soldiers. The flight of residents afraid of getting caught in the crossfire has created temporary communities in shelters where the civilians were brought for safety.
Mllitary Operations in Mindanao (tags)
Nearly 3,000 tribespeople have fled their mountain homes in the southern Philippines as the military stepped up an offensive against insurgents of the communist New People's Army (NPA), officials and church leaders said on Monday. Modesto Villasanta, a Roman Catholic priest and leader of a local human rights group, said he feared a humanitarian crisis if military operations continue to displace Manobo tribes from 11 communities in a province on Mindanao island.