NPA attacks in Mountain Province hit

BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan condemned the attacks of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) against the government troops killing two police officers and the wounding of 10 others in two separate incidents in the municipality of Bauko, Mountain Province.

Domogan, also chair of the Regional Development and Peace and Order Council (RDC-RPOC), said the incident was very unfortunate for the people of the Cordillera that such an encounter should occur particularly in the municipality of Bauko.

“We condemn those kinds of unnecessary barbaric attacks, the putting of bombs in areas that possibly will not only injure and victimize police or soldiers but even innocent civilians for that matter which is very unfortunate,” Domogan expressed.

In the evening of April 2, Police Corporal Marlon Casil was killed while nine others were injured in an explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the NPA between Tadian and Bauko.

The nine government troops wounded during the incident were Corporals Marcelo Bayeng, Ramadick Meloy, Clifford Gama, Edwin Keya, John Calcaligong, Pat Erwin Calixto, Staff Sergeant Salvador Agalatiw, Master Sergeant Alphedes Alvaro and Corporal Terence Dulnuan.

“We have been praying that even locally, peace talks can be done so that we can stop this terroristic and barbaric acts in our region for the good of the people in our region as a whole. We hope that we will be able to reach our brothers and sisters on the left so that we could come out with peace agreements that will settle this issue in our own region,” Domogan said.

On March 29, patrolman Wilfredo Bongotan Padawil, a member of the Regional Mobile Force, 1502nd coy, was brought by responding medical team and PNP personnel to Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital but expired the same date due to a wounds sustained during the initial encounter.

Police Corporal Irpeel Jon-Jon Salao Lapniten also of the Regional Mobile Force, 1502nd coy, was wounded during the said encounter and brought to the same hospital for treatment and is now in stable condition.

Police Regional Office–Cordillera (PRO-COR) director Israel Dickson personally proceeded to Mountain Province to assess the situation on the ground.

“Our joint operations with the Philippine Army is ongoing which is why we are here to personally assess the situation and to know the present condition and welfare of our government troops who were wounded together with and the lone casualty. We would like to inform the public that land mines or improvised explosive devices or IED’s are strictly prohibited in the International Humanitarian Law but was used by the New Peoples’ Army,” Dickson said.

Dickson also assured the PNP and the AFP is on top of the situation and is presently containing the said area of incident since they have identified the location of the enemy.

“Just like what the Mayor of Bauko, Mountain Province said, they are not actually disallowing the movements of the citizens in the said area but is only discouraging the citizens and tourist wanting to do trekking, hunting or tour the place where the unfortunate incident happened while clearing operations are still conducted by our military and police personnel at the said area as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of the people,” Dickson added.

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