At about 2:30 a.m., an undetermined number of rebels in military-type jungle camouflage uniforms posing as soldiers raided the Mobo police station resulting in the wounding of three policemen, Supt. Wilson Asueta, spokesman for the Bicol police command, said, citing a report from the Masbate police commander, Senior Supt. Thomas Belen Semeniano.
“They [communist guerrillas] arrived at the police station to ‘coordinate’ an information but the sentinel immediately detected them as rebels and immediately fired on them that resulted in a firefight,” Asueta said.
Although undermanned, the policemen led by their chief, Senior Insp. Leus Anselmo Prima, were able to regroup and engaged the rebels in almost one hour of firefight.
The rebels fired 40mm grenades and hurled molotov bombs at the defender in addition to shooting them with M-60 machine guns and other high-powered firearms.
Reinforcements who arrived at the thick of the gun battle prompted the rebels to withdraw.
Wounded in the firefight were Senior Police Officer 1 Arturo Mendoza, Police Officer 2 Marwin Marcellana and PO2 Bernardino Altarejos.
At about 4:45 a.m., a batch of reinforcements composed of troops from the Special Task Force Masbate and the Regional Public Safety Battalion, led by Senior Insp. Dennis Balla and SPO1 Francisco Ramos, were ambushed on the bridge at sitio Matungaw, barangay Tugbo, Masbate.
“They were on foot when a land mine exploded. The explosion was followed by a gun battle,” Asueta said.
PO1 Baldwin Huyo-a Odtohan was hit in his left hand by a shrapnel.
Semeniano said his convoy, while proceeding to Masbate City, hit a land mine planted by the communist guerrillas at about 6:45 a.m. in barangay Poblacion 1, Mobo.
“My convoy coming from Pio V. Corpus via Masbate City was also hit by a land mine upon reaching the vicinity of barangay Poblacion in Mobo,” Semeniano said.
The blast injured the left hand of PO2 Ernie Concepcion.
“All wounded personnel were taken to the Masbate Provincial Hospital for treatment. Hot pursuit operations are still in progress against the fleeing rebels who were last seen heading toward the hinterlands of sitio Busay and Angbu, both in barangay 1, Mobo,” Semeniano said.
At about 9 a.m. a section of the 93rd Division Reconnaissance Company of the Army’s 9th Infantry Battalion, led by a certain Lt. Diaros, was ambushed by a blocking force of the rebels.
The soldiers onboard a KM250 truck were going to the market in Masbate City when the vehicle hit a land mine in barangay Maingaran, Masbate City. The rebels fired at the troops following the explosion.
Killed in the ambush was Pfc. Mariel Semolava. The wounded were Pfc. Henry Maisog and Pvts. Ryan Brayuga and Jomar Eredino.
More than a week ago, 250 rebels raided the Trento town police station in Agusan del Sur that resulted in the killing of two civilians and wounding of three policemen.
The incident was followed by the kidnapping of Lingig, Agusan del Sur, Mayor Dano and his two military security aides.
These incidents did not seat well with President Aquino, who called on the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) to show sincerity in the peace talks that are expected to start in just a few weeks.
The peace talks between the government and the NDF were shelved in August 2004 by the previous administration.
At present, the Armed Forces has placed the number of NPA rebels to less than 5,000 fighters and in recent years some areas in the country were declared insurgency-free followed by the handing of the internal security operations of these areas to the concerned local police and local governments.
(With Rene Acosta)
