Rebels attack military outpost, quarry in South Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato—A soldier, a policeman and a civilian were injured and heavy equipment damaged when suspected communist rebels attacked a military outpost and a quarry in South Cotabato early Friday morning, the authorities said.

The first attack took place in the municipality of Tampakan, where unidentified men on a motorcycle tossed a hand grenade into an outpost manned jointly by the 1st Maneuver Platoon of the South Cotabato Public Safety Command and the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion around 4:30 a.m.

Insp. John Fredo Primacio, platoon commander, said the grenade explosion injured P01 Norberto Lanaria and his wife, Hydee, and Cpl. Florante Basco.

“We heard a motorbike speed off seconds before the blast. Those wounded are now safe,” Primacio said in a telephone interview.

He said authorities strongly believed the attack was carried out by the New People’s Army as it came in the wake of intelligence reports about an impending communist rebel attack.

The second attack took place on the outskirts of this city around 5 a.m. when heavily armed NPA rebels burned five pieces of heavy equipment owned by a private quarrying company.

Supt. Nestor Salcedo, Koronadal police chief, said the rebels arrived at the quarry site in Barangay Topland in van and set the machinery on fire.

“No one was harmed in the incident,” he said.