Troops go after rebels behind B’non raid

By LITO RULONA
and SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondents

SOLDIERS from the 68th Infantry Battalion, and police officers are now combing hinterland barangays in San Fernando, Bukidnon, following the attack of communist rebels in Sitio Mahayag, Barangay Namnam in the town on Sunday.

Lt. Col. Vergil Lacambra, spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Battalion, joint forces Army and police forces, started the pursuit operations after the Sunday attack that resulted in the killing of a soldier and a 12-year old boy, and the wounding of another soldier.
He identified the boy as Efren Rolida.

Lacambra said the rebels who carried out the surprise attack fled after government forces fought back.He said there were reports many of the estimated 50 rebels were hurt if not, killed. Rebels however carted away firearms.

Allan Juanito, spokesperson of New People’s Army (NPA) for North Central Mindanao, said rebels 13 firearms, 10 of which are high-powered.

Juanito said rebels quickly overrun the position of a 68th IB squad and a militia group who allegedly occupied a sitio hall. He said the soldiers have been serving as a security force for a company contracted to construct a portion of the Valencia-Davao road.

“We regret this unintented death, and we shall exhaust all efforts to contact the family of the child and extend to them proper assistance for the burial of the child as well as indemnification.In relation to this, we remind the barrio folk to assert that soldiers must not camp in or near their domiciles in accordance to the rules of conflict. In doing so, unfortunate incidents of civilian deaths will be avoided in the future,” Juanito said in a statement.