Authorities will file criminal charges against two warring families that clashed on Saturday in Picong, Lanao del Sur, which stranded hundreds of motorists for several hours along the national highway connecting the cities of Pagadian and Cotabato.
Col. Caezar Cabuhat, Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office director, said that frustrated murder charges are being prepared for filing on Monday, after three responding soldiers were injured in the rido or clan war.
In a statement, the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-BAR) said the skirmishes erupted between the rival Labao and Gaosil families, both from Barangay Biosong, Picong.
Cabuhat said police and military forces under the 64th Infantry Battalion (IB) responded to the gunfight between the two warring families but was met with heavy gunfire.
Maj. Noelio Brigole Jr., spokesperson for the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry ‘Tabak’ Division, said that three soldiers were wounded after gunmen positioned on the mountainous terrain surrounding Picong Tunnel fired at them.
The 40-meter road tunnel built by the Americans during World War II in Barangay Manabilang, Picong town, is a major link connecting Pagadian and Cotabato cities.
‘We had to halt vehicular traffic when the fighting intensified last Saturday afternoon for the safety of the motorists,’ Cabuhat said.
Brigole said a joint team of soldiers from the 64IB and police officers from the Picong Municipal Police Station responded to pacify the warring families after residents reported the clash at around 3:00 p.m. Saturday.
He said the responding soldiers and police officers were met with heavy gunfire, which included rounds from .50-caliber machine guns.
‘We deployed more troops to secure the Picong Tunnel, and by 8:00 p.m., the highway was cleared and vehicles were allowed to pass through,’ Brigole told the Inquirer on the phone Sunday.
The wounded were identified as Privates First Class Jude Deligero, Reymond Padawan, and Cupid Val Masibog Mosque, all belonging to the Army’s 64IB.