MALACAÑANG slammed Wednesday the New People's Army (NPA) over its reported attack on a group of soldiers assisting earthquake victims in Surigao del Norte.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the NPA clearly violated its declaration of truce when it fired at the members of Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion traveling along Barangay Linunggaman, San Francisco, Surigao del Norte, on Tuesday night.
“Last night’s NPA attack in Barangay Linunggaman, San Francisco, Surigao del Norte, was a clear violation of the armed group’s ceasefire declaration after the 6.7 magnitude earthquake in Surigao del Norte,” Abella said in a statement.
The NPA has announced that its ceasefire with the government in Surigao del Norte and the municipalities of Cabadbaran, Tubay, Jabonga, and Santiago in Agusan del Norte started on Sunday and will end at 11:55 p.m. of February 20.
But on Tuesday, the NPA bandits reportedly attacked the soldiers escorting a team from the ABS-CBN Foundation that distributed relief assistance in the earthquake-hit areas.
No casualty was reported in the attack.
Despite the attack, Abella said the military will continue helping the local government units in restoring normalcy in the affected areas.
"The government, through the Armed Forces and other agencies, will continue in its humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations," Abella said. (SunStar Philippines)