Army describes as fake news NPA report that 4 gov’t forces die in Masbate

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LEGAZPI CITY — The Philippine Army said on Tuesday that reports claiming four soldiers and Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit members died in a bombing in Placer town on Friday (March 24) were not true.

In a press statement on Monday, March 27, Luz del Mar, the spokesperson for the NPA-Masbate, said they launched the operation at the military detachment in Barangay (village) Manlut-od at around 11 p.m., where three nipa huts were damaged.

“Ang masa mismo ang nagkukusang ipabatid sa Hukbo ang mga pwesto at himpilan ng kaaway,” del Mar said in a statement on the website Philippine Revolution.

(The community voluntarily offered information to NPA about the location of the enemy.)

Captain Frank Roldan, chief of the public affairs office of the 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, said in a private chat message on Tuesday that only one death was reported during the series of explosions and gunfights in the province last week.

Roldan said there were no reported incidents in Barangay Manlut-od in Placer on the date mentioned.

On March 20, Corporal Antonio Parreño Jr. of the 2nd Infantry Battalion (2IB) was killed during a firefight with alleged rebels in Barangay Villahermosa in Cawayan town.

On March 22, Private First Class Mardie Lumapag and Private First Class Angelito Tabanao, also from 2IB, and a resident were wounded after the explosion of improvised explosive devices (IED) that also resulted in a clash in Barangay Locso-an in Placer town.

On the same day, Staff Sergeant Leo Almario II and Patrolman Jasper Gigante, both assigned at Dimasalang town police, were also wounded in an explosion incident and clash with alleged rebels in Barangay Gaid in Dimasalang.

The latest attack was recorded on Monday where Patrolman Ragan Victor, assigned to the 4th platoon of the 2nd Police Mobile Force Company in Cataingan town, was hurt after an IED exploded in Barangay Marcella in Uson town at around 9:40 p.m.

The Department of Education Bicol earlier reported that in-person classes were suspended in 140 schools with more than 55,000 students and shifted to modular learning setup to ensure safety.

Some schools resumed the in-person classes on Monday.

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