Soldier runs amuck, kills 2, wounds 5

COTABATO CITY , Philippines  – Two soldiers were killed, while five others, including three officers, were wounded late Friday when an Army sergeant shot them without warning inside their headquarters at Camp Iranun in Maguindanao.

Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, identified the two fatalities as Sgt. Bernard de Guzman and Pfc. Christopher Pagatpatan.

The attacker, Sgt. Policarpio de la Cruz, of the 23rd Mechanized Company, a unit of the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, was himself seriously wounded in the incident.

Armed with an M-16 assault rifle, De la Cruz fired at the two soldiers who were with Lt. Col. Aniceto Vicente, commander of the 2nd MIB, Maj. Fe Ea, 2Lt. Grace Sumalbog, and their escorts upon their arrival at Camp Iranun, located at the boundaries of Maguindanao’s neighboring Barira, Buldon and Matanog towns.

The three officers and their two subordinate-aides, Sgt. Ronaldo Saraza and Cpl. Dennis Bargante, were wounded in the attack.

Ponce said the victims were to conduct a routine visit of members of the Army’s mechanized units at Camp Iranun.

He added that De Guzman and Pagatpatan provided cover for their officers and attempted to block De la Cruz. 

“It’s normal for security escorts to do everything to protect the officers they are guarding. It’s a very sad incident,” Ponce said.

Camp Iranun, located some 40 kilometers northwest of the 6th ID’s headquarters in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, was formerly known as Camp Abubakar, the former bastion of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which was recovered from the rebels by the military on July 9, 2000 after weeks of military offensives.

Ponce said De la Cruz, who is in critical condition, had shown signs of mental instability prior to the shooting incident.

Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton Jr., commanding general of the 6th Infantry Division based at Camp Awang, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. – With Jaime Laude