CAGAYAN DE ORO—Suspected New People’s Army rebels attacked a village where a controversial lumad school is located in Kitaotao town in Bukidnon province Wednesday afternoon, the military said.
Capt. Patrick Martinez, 4th Infantry Division information officer, said around 100 NPA rebels took three residents as hostages after they attacked the village in Sitio Upper Bayugan, Barangay Kitubo in Kitaotao town Wednesday afternoon.
Martinez said the rebels took Jovanie Rebecacca, 17; Nonoy Paradero, 61 years old and his son, Dilly, all residents of Sitio Dao, Barangay White Kulaman, also in Kitaotao town.
He said the rebels later released Paradero and the elder Nonoy but held on Dilly who was taken to an undisclosed location.
Pursuit operations by the police and military to find the hostage are ongoing.
Sitio Upper Bayugan is located some 10 kilometers from Barangay White Kulman where local leaders tried to close the Fr. Fausto Tentorio Memorial School, a small school for lumad suspected to be a front for NPA rebels.
Barangay White Kulman chair Felipe Cabugnason said Dilly was among those who petitioned to close the school and may have angered the NPA rebels.