Cop dies, 7 hurt in North Cotabato roadside bombing

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – A police officer was killed while at least seven others were wounded in a roadside bombing believed perpetrated by communist New People’s Army rebels at early Monday evening.

The North Cotabato Police Office said two patrol cars with members of the North Cotabto Mobile Force Company were manning a checkpoint when a suspected anti-personnel mine went off in Barangay Poblacion, Magpet town, North Cotabato, at about 6 p.m.

Senior Inspector Rolando Dillera, Magpet police chief, said a certain Police Officer 1 Anadon, driver of Police Mobile Force Patrol Car No. 136 was seriously hurt in the blast.

He and four others were rushed to a hospital in Kidapawan City but Anadon died at past 10 p.m.

Dillera identified three of the seven other injured police officers as PO1 Pareno, PO1 Capilitan and PO1 Lechago, who sustained minor injuries.

Clearing operations were ongoing as of posting.

The blast came after the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion clashed with communist rebels in Barangay Bagumbayan, also in Magpet, where an NPA member was killed, another was wounded.  A soldier was also hurt in the 15-minute firefight.

Police said the roadside bombing could be a retaliatory attack by the NPA. /cbb