MANILA, Jan. 16, Reuter: At least 30 people have been killed and 57 wounded over the past three days in a flare-up of violence by Moslem rebels on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao which President Corazon Aquino is to visit tomorrow, armed forces Chief Fidel Ramos said today.
Previous reports placed the death toll at eight.
Ramos told reporters at the Presidential Palace the dead included 21 guerrillas from the outlawed Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been on a three-day rampage, burning bridges, cutting power lines and setting fire to public buildings in central and southern Mindanao.
The dead also included two soldiers and seven civilians.
Ramos said the military had advised Aquino to call off her weekend trip to Mindanao but a Presidential advisor said she was going ahead with her trip.
“Our recommendation is that she will be taking some risks in proceedings with her scheduled visit to Cotabato, but the military can take appropriate action to make her meeting secure”, Ramos said.
Ramos warned yesterday that the army would “hit hard if necessary” to crush the uprising.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 23, 1987
