Soldier killed, 6 hurt in NPA attack in Camarines Norte

LEGAZPI CITY — An Army soldier died and six others were wounded in an attack on Monday staged by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in a remote village in Labo town in Camarines Norte province, an Army report said Monday.

Maj. Ricky Aguilar, Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division (9ID) public affairs chief, said a platoon of Army soldiers on combat patrol were pulling out at 9:20 a.m at Barangay Baay when attacked by undetermined number of NPA rebels.

Rebels planted and detonated an improvised explosive device on the path of the soldiers, and fired upon them, killing a soldier and wounding six others.

A brief firefight ensued, prompting the rebels to flee and seek refuge in neighboring villages.

The names of the fatality and the wounded soldiers are not yet available to media as of this writing.

Maj. Gen. Fernando Trinidad, commander of Joint Task Force Bicolandia (JTFB), condemned the attack as a treacherous act by the communist rebels and a violation of the ceasefire declared separately by the government and the NPA.

Trinidad in a press statement has expressed his strong disappointment with the terrorist group’s defiance of the agreed nationwide Christmas truce which aims to give Filipinos a peaceful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“This action is a clear manifestation of their deceptive and ill motives as well as their use of terror and violence to show their strength which, for so long a time, hampers the government’s campaign to attain sustainable peace and development,” he said.

On Sunday, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was the first to declare a truce and called all its guerrilla units nationwide to suspend military operations which took effect right after the government’s declaration of Suspension of Police Operations and Suspension of Police Operations 12 a.m. Monday until Jan. 7 next year.

JTFB said it maintained its “stand to comply with the ceasefire and assured the public that it would not compromise their safety and security hence all military units are still on alert to preempt any atrocities that the NPA rebels plan to spread.”

Edited by LZB