PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 17, 2012) – An improvised explosive planted by bandits killed a farmer in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, the army said Monday.
It said the bandits led by Omar Arasid were behind the explosion that killed 48-year old William Barbona in his coconut farm in the village of Balas in Labason town.
“Barbona stepped on the landmine planted by the group of Arasid and he was killed instantly by the blast,” Capt. Albert Caber, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He said the attack occurred after Barbona rejected extortion demands.
Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the infantry division, condemned the killing of the civilian and ordered troops in the province to help the local police in arresting those responsible in the explosion.
“We condemned the targeting of innocent civilians by lawless elements. I encourage the populace to stay vigilant and report to the police or military authorities all lawlessness in their areas and let us all work together hand in hand to put a stop to criminality,” Cruz said.
Bandits are known to actively operate in the Zamboanga Peninsula and have previously attacked civilians over the past years. (Mindanao Examiner)
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