TACLOBAN CITY — Fear and confusion have gripped a remote village in Leyte after residents reported hearing repeated gunfire in the dead of night — sounds they blamed on members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) camped in their community.
The concern was raised in an open letter sent to Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders, a group of journalists and media workers that runs a Facebook page where citizens can report community issues to authorities.
According to the letter, residents of Barangay Villa Corazon in Burauen said gunshots were heard late at night and in the early morning hours, disturbing their sleep and leaving them anxious.
“People are scared because they don’t know where the guns are being fired toward,” the complainant said, adding that the issue had already been reported to barangay officials and even the municipal mayor, but no action was taken.
The military, however, has firmly denied the allegations.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Pompeyo Jason Almagro, commander of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry (Peerless) Brigade, dismissed the claims as false and misleading, saying there was no indiscriminate firing in the village.
Almagro said an internal inquiry showed that the sounds came from a scheduled dry run conducted by members of the CAA Active Auxiliary using blank ammunition, part of routine preparations for security operations during the Christmas season.
“They were not indiscriminately firing their firearms,” Almagro said. “The activity was a legitimate military exercise intended to enhance readiness in protecting the community from the atrocities of Communist Terrorist Groups.”
He added that the exercise was properly coordinated with barangay officials and was covered by a Barangay Certification issued by the local government unit.
Still, Almagro did not explain why the exercise was conducted late at night or in the early morning—timing that residents say fueled fear and confusion.