AFP downplays NPA attack in Oriental Mindoro

LUCENA CITY — A military official downplayed the ambush perpetrated by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Mindoro island that left three policemen injured.

“Despite the attack, our counter-insurgency, civil-military operations and various government projects in the island will continue in Mindoro,” Lt. Col. Dennis Cana, spokesman of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) said Thursday.

He added: “Those operations, projects and programs are intended for the benefit of the local populations.”

According to Cana, the remaining Maoist-inspired guerillas operating in Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro are now only few.

“That’s why they can only manage a minor ambush using an improvised explosive device,” Cana said.

On Wednesday, a team from the Pinamalayan police were on their way to Calapan City for a radio program was ambushed by NPA rebels in Barangay Pasi 2, Socorro town in Oriental Mindoro.

Madaay Gasic, spokesperson of the NPA-Lucio de Guzman command operating in the island, said a unit of Red-fighters carried out the attack and claimed that at least 12 cops were casualties.

However, police reported that only three of their troops were wounded. The injured cops were properly identified.

Cana said at least alleged 47 NPA rebels most of them from the “people’s militia” have surrendered to the government forces and local civilian authorities in the island since January this year.

He said the military and local officials have been continuously receiving surrender feelers from some local communist rebels who wants to return to the fold of the law./lzb