Soldier killed, 6 wounded in Sagada

From the Manila Standard Today (Dec 2): Soldier killed, 6 wounded in Sagada

Suspected New People’s Army rebels ambushed on government troops Sunday evening in a remote village of Sagada town in Mountain Province resulting in the death of a soldier and six others wounded.

Capt. Randy Santa Maria, of the 5th Infantry Division said the identities of the casualties are being verified pending notification of relatives.

He said the military convoy led by Capt. Jefferson Somera and personnel of Alpha 5th Civil Military Office Battalion under 1Lt. Edelfred Mendoza and Cordillera Youth Leaders were attacked at Sitio Pogew in Barangay Teptep-an at 10:30 p.m. after conducting a Youth Leadership Summit at Sagada National High School.

The injured were brought for treatment at the Bontoc Provincial Hospital.
Santa Maria said teambuilding activities involved at least 72 participants “to further enhance the leadership skills, camaraderie and unity of the youth and prepare them to become responsible citizens and future leaders of the society.”

Lecturers included representatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Department, National Youth Council and  non-government organizations.

Maj. Gen. Lysander Suerte, newly installed 5ID commander who replaced Maj. Gen. Benito De Leon, said “the remnants of the NPA are disrupting the strong cooperation among the government and the non-government organizations in the conduct of civil-military operations within Sagada.”

Recently, Governor Leonardo Mayaen and Vice Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr. of Mountain Province have declared the locality as generally peaceful and ready for development.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/12/02/soldier-killed-6-wounded-in-sagada/