NPA rebels abduct two BJMP guards, rescue bomb expert in Surigao del Sur ambush

From the Philippine News Agency ((Apr 29): NPA rebels abduct two BJMP guards, rescue bomb expert in Surigao del Sur ambush

Communist New People's Army rebels abducted two personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) shortly after ambushing BJMP van in a daring rescue of a comrade in Surigao del Sur Tuesday morning.

Capt. Patrick Martinez, of the army’s Public Affairs Division here, said on Wednesday that two other jail guards and a prisoner were wounded during the ambush in Marihatag, Surigao Del Sur.

Martinez did not release the names of the two wounded jail guards, but identified the wounded prisoner as Robert Rivas.

He also identified the abducted BJMP jail guards as SO2 Juan Salazar and SO2 Feliciano Polan, all of the provincial BJMP in Surigao Del Sur, he said.

In a report reaching here Wednesday, Martinez said that the wounded were now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Tandag City.

He said that the BJMP personnel were escorting two prisoners on their way to a court hearing Tuesday morning when waylaid by about 30 fully-armed NPA rebels to rescue one of the prisoners identified as Jojean M. Alameda.

Taken along with the two other BJMP officers, Alameda is reportedly a bomb expert and a high valued NPA officer, Martinez said.

The NPA rebels also carted away two assaults M4 rifles, four 9mm pistols, and on 45 pistols.

Martinez said that the army’s 36th Infantry Battalion has been pursuing the NPA rebels and conduct rescue and retrieval operations for the BJMP personnel since Wednesday.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=757270