Quezon cops foil rebel ambush plot

LUCENA CITY, Philippines–Police in Quezon province foiled an ambush plot by suspected New People Army rebels even as two soldiers and a civilian ended up wounded in a separate failed slay try by the rebel group in Sorsogon.

Supt. Gerardo Umayao, commander of the Philippine National Police Provincial Public Safety Company in Quezon, said policemen from the 1st Maneuver Platoon were on patrol at around 3 a.m. Wednesday when they spotted four suspicious men along the Marcos Highway in Barangay (village) Magsaysay in Infanta, Quezon.

When the lawmen tried to approach the group, the four men scampered into different directions.

A brief chase ensued but due to the darkness, unfamiliar terrain and vegetation, the policemen failed to locate the four, Umayao said.

In the course of searching the area, the policemen found a “bayong” (native bag) containing five pieces of explosives believed to be anti-personnel mines, firing devices, blasting caps with detonating cords mounted towards the road, flashlights, bolos and personal items.

Umayao said the policemen immediately defused the bombs.

Senior Supt. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Quezon police provincial director, lauded the lawmen.

Ylagan believed the policemen chanced upon NPA members while on the act of installing improvised bombs for a planned ambush against government forces.

In Sorsogon, Cpl. Raymund Recaña and Pfc Arnel Divinagracia, both of the Army’s 31st Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Division, sustained wounds after an undetermined number of armed men believed to be members of an NPA death squad fired at them at around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Barangay Timbayog, Casiguran, Sorsogon, said Lt. Col. Medel Aguilar, 9ID’s acting spokesman.

Aguilar said a bystander edentified as Policarpio Balase, of Barangay Dolos, Juban, Sorsogon, was also wounded in the incident that the Army believed was perpetrated by members of the NPA’s Special Partisan Unit.

He said Recaña and Divinagracia were riding a motorcycle when the suspects fired at them with guns of still undetermined caliber as the two policemen passed by.

Recaña was hit on his right palm and upper back while Divinagracia suffered a gunshot wound at the middle of his back, he said.

Balase sustained a gunshot on his stomach and his back, he added.

Aguilar said they believed the soldiers were the targets of the supposed NPA hitmen and that the civilian was just an innocent bystander who was there at a wrong time.

He added that both soldiers were unarmed in accordance with the barangay election gun ban which took effect last month.

He said both soldiers were brought to the nearest hospital for medical attention and were declared out of danger.