1 dead in Surigao firefight

AFP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A armed man was killed in a shootout with soldiers in the town of Lingig in Surigao del Sur on Saturday morning.

Capt. Rhyan Batchar, public affairs chief of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the firefight took place in the village of Pagtilaan at about 9:30 a.m.

Batchar said three soldiers from the 67th Infantry Battalion were in plainclothes when they went to the village and encountered four men with guns.

Citing a report from the Lingig police, a soldier tried to approach one of the armed men they saw at the village multi-purpose hall but the men opened fire at the soldiers.

“This prompted the soldiers to retaliate hitting one of the armed men, later identified as Ricky Ponciano,” Batchar said.

Initial investigation showed that Ponciano, 25, was a village resident.

Authorities recovered a .45-caliber handgun and ammunition from the scene. CBB/rga