Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan | PHOTO: League of Provinces of the Philippines
TACLOBAN CITY — Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan has condemned the ambush staged by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) that wounded at least seven soldiers in Mapanas town on Tuesday.
Ongchuan, in a statement, said what the rebels did was an indication that they were against achieving peaceful and resilient communities.
“This is another show of violence by the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA). Using anti-personnel mines (APM) is absolutely inhuman and certainly not acceptable as it does not discriminate against the victims, endangering the lives of civilians as much as our armed personnel,” the governor said.
According to Ongchuan, the soldiers, belonging to the 63rd Infantry Battalion and 20th Infantry Battalion were on their way to Barangay Magsaysay as part of their community support program when they stepped on APMs.
Despite what happened, the governor vowed to continue to support government initiatives that will lead to peace and development in the province.
“We assure our communities that we will continue to support the government’s efforts for peace and development in the province. We will persevere and keep our pursuit of genuine and lasting peace,” he said.
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