NPA raid on AFP, PNP installations foiled

From the Daily Tribune (Nov 9): NPA raid on AFP, PNP installations foiled

Government troops yesterday claimed to have thwarted a plot by the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to attack military and police installations in Sorsogon province following a deliberate assault against a communist band in Casiguran town on Wednesday. Col. Generoso Bolina, spokesman of the military’s Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), said that elements of the 31st Infantry Battalion (IB), led by Lt. Col. Teody Toribio, discovered to NPA plot after recovery of documents, including maps, following a deliberate operation against the communists in Sitio Marinas, Barangay Boton at around 5:30 a.m. The 31st IB, Bolina said, launched the deliberate operation against the more or less 20 NPA rebels who were “just the advance party serving as guards to a bigger group in the area.” “The documents and maps recovered from the encounter site confirmed prior information and reports from various sources that the NPA in Sorsogon are planning tactical offensives targeting two Army detachments and a police station in the province,” said Bolina. “They (NPAs) have depicted in the NPAs’ maps the locations of their targets and their direction of attack,” added Bolina. The military, however, would not reveal what were the target detachments and stations of the NPA. “Additional trrops were inserted in the area as pursuit operations to track down the rebels are ongoing. All Army detachments and PNP stations were given alert notice,” said Bolina. Bolina said the firefight lasted for about 20 minutes that resulted in the killing of one rebel while two others were reported wounded. On the other hand, Bolina said that the 31st IB suffered no casualty. Two civilians, identified as Richard Bigaso, 23, and Raffy Jitomo, 35, who happened to be at the vicinity during the firefight, were slightly wounded. Recovered from the encounter site were three improvised explosive devices, bomb-making materials, combat packs, communication equipment and subversive documents.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/6639-npa-raid-on-afp-pnp-installations-foiled