One of the three Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) stragglers who had survived the clashes in Inabanga and Clarin was spotted in Barangay Buenos Aires in Tubigon, said the spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 302nd Brigade.
According to Capt. Jojo Mascariñas, a bandit believed to be ASG member “Ubayda†was reportedly seen in the said village by a farmer on Wednesday.
The suspected bandit was said to have been sighted wearing fresh clothes and had asked the villager for food and slippers.
Out of fear, the farmer reportedly obliged as he also noted that the alleged ASG militant took coconuts before hastily leaving while avoiding passing through the main road.
Mascariñas did not identify the farmer for security purposes.
Buenos Aires is near the Clarin border where the latest encounter between the band of militants and government troops erupted last Saturday.
Four ASG men were killed in the firefight including the group’s guide, Bohol native Joselito Melloria. Their deaths cut down the number of bandits to three.
In a previous military report, it was indicated that the three remaining bandits only have one firearm in their possession.
However, Mascariñas noted that bandits may have left that firearm so they could easily blend in with villagers.
He also noted that the stragglers may have been separated following the clash in Clarin.
The military and the Philippine National Police are continuing their hunt against the remaining ASG bandits after at least eight of their militant comrades have been killed in previous clashes. (Allen Doydora)