NPA stages 11 bombings, attacks

From The Standard (Mar 16): NPA stages 11 bombings, attacks

THE communist New People’s Army staged attacks in Masbate and Oriental Mindoro provinces on Monday leaving an army soldier killed and three others wounded while sowing fear in 11 areas where the insurgents are believed to have caused bomb blasts.

The military said the NPA staged the attacks to scare people into believing that the NPA is still a force to reckon with ahead of their 47th anniversary on March 29.

“The NPA is a diminishing group in Southern Luzon,” said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the military’s Southern Luzon Command based in Lucena City.  “As such, they resort to terror acts like these to project that they are still strong.”

Visaya’s spokesman Lt. Col. Angelo Guzman said the NPA detonated improvised explosive devices in 11 remote villages in Masbate on Monday morning.

The first explosions occurred at 4 a.m. in Barangay Miaga in Uson town followed by the second blast at 5 a.m. at Barangay Tunga in Esperanza town. The third happened at the Loving Forest Memorial Garden along the National Highway in Masbate City around 7 a.m. and the fourth at 7:15 a.m. at Barangay Tabuc in Mobo town.

After the four blast, there were seven other explosions, three of which separately occurred in the outskirts of Uson town hitting Globe cell sites in the villages of Crossing, Panisihan and Buenasuerte, while the other four occurred at Barangay Tabuc in Mobo; Poblacion District-2, Claveria, Ilaya, Balud in the boundaries of Dorongan, San Jacinto and Dapitan, San Fernando towns.

Col. Fernando Trinidad, commander of the Army’s 903rd Infantry Brigade said the blasts were part of the rebels’ propaganda tactics to sow fear in the people, but assured securiry forces in the island province are exerting their best efforts to ensure the safety of civilians.

On Monday afternoon, the NPA staged attacks in Bongabon town in Oriental Mindoro, resulting in the death of government trooper the military did not identify pending the notification of his kin.

Another unidentified soldier was injured along with Senior Inspector Aldrin Rosales and SPO1 Amado Abiola, who were both taken to the provincial hospital for treatment.

Mayor Hercules “Bobot” Umali of Bongabon town confirmed the skirmishes in his town but could not give details because the fighting was still raging.

Attack helicopters were dispatched to the scene of fighting to neutralize the rebel band that ambushed an army contingent on combat patrol in the rebel-infested village of Haban.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-main-stories/top-stories/201808/npa-stages-11-bombings-attacks.html