FOUR New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas and a soldier were killed on Monday, after the rebels ambushed a convoy of policemen and soldiers in Masbate.
Four other soldiers were wounded in the ambush, which was followed by a 15-minute firefight in Barangay Tuburan, Cawayan, Masbate.
Maj. Gen. Yerson Depayso, commander of the Army’s Ninth Infantry “Spear” Division, said the policemen and soldiers, who were onboard two trucks, were returning to their camps when they were waylaid by the rebels at around 4:30 p.m.
The convoy came from Barangay Cabungahan, Cawayan, where the policemen and soldier conducted joint operations that resulted in the seizure of an Ingram submachine gun and a caliber .45 pistol.
Depayso said that during the firefight, four rebels, who remained unidentified, were killed. A soldier was killed in the first volley of fire, while three other soldiers were wounded.
The bodies of the dead rebels were turned over to local officials for their relatives to retrieve them.
On the other hand, the government fatality was Staff Sgt. Fernando Leynes.
Wounded were Sgt. Pedro Umandap, Cpl. Ian Abonita and Cpl. Rolly Razalo.
Depayso said that another platoon, which is jointly composed of soldiers and policemen, also arrested two rebels and confiscated an M-16 rifle, landmines and a laptop in Barangay Libas, Placer, Masbate.
“The joint Army-police security operations in Masbate is one of the efforts of the security forces to priority areas, wherein the conduct of focused military operations will result to the clearing of rebel-affected areas,” Depayso said.
Masbate and Sorsogon have yet to be declared “conflict-manageable provinces” in the Bicol region. The government seeks to degrade the rebel presence in the two provinces by the end of next year.