An elderly couple and their son who were taken hostage by escaping members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday have been killed by the rebels in Pikit, North Cotabato, police said Tuesday.
Radio dzMM's Noel Alamar reported that couple Lucio and Isidra Paño and their 43-year-old son were taken hostage by MILF forces under Commander Amiril Umbra Kato at the height of clashes in Barangay Tinutulan in Pikit town on Monday.
Police said the bodies of the couple have been found inside their home. The body of their son, who was also reported gunned down by the rebels before escaping, has yet to be found, police added.
The police and the military have been trying to flush out the rebels from illegally occupied villages in North Cotabato.
Government officials said the rebels have been burning down houses, killing livestock and forcibly taking over lands in at least 15 villages in five North Cotabato towns since July 1.
The hostilities escalated after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain that was pre-agreed by government and MILF peace panels. The petition was filed by North Cotabato and Zamboanga city local officials.
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