In a report to Camp Aguinaldo, Brig. Gen. Glenn Rabonza, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the rebels who raided this town at about 5 a.m. came in two groups, led by one Rosita Taboy of the NPA’s Southern Samar Front 1.
The first group swooped down on the police station and divested the three policemen of their firearms. The second group, on the other hand, went from house to house searching for weapons.
The guerrillas carted away four M-16 Armalite rifles, two 9mm pistols, a caliber .38 revolver and a shotgun from the police detachment.
A civilian, identified as Aniceto Figueroa, a retired Bureau of Internal Revenue employee, was wounded in the attack. He was rushed to a hospital in Tacloban City.
While the raid was underway, one rebel reportedly accidentally fired at his comrade, forcing their leaders to abort the operation.
Elements of the 52nd Infantry Battalion and the 801st Infantry Brigade were dispatched to secure this town.
In another development, soldiers of the 34th Infantry Battalion encountered 10 NPA guerrillas in Barangay San Ramon in Gandara town last Friday afternoon.
Capt. Constancio Espina, 8th ID spokesman, said the rebels were forced to withdraw after 10 minutes of gunbattle because they were outnumbered.
But the government troops captured one Lino Elizalde Cabugoy, 20, said to be a courier of the NPA. He was brought to the 34th IB headquarters for questioning.
One soldier was wounded in the skirmish. He was brought to the military hospital at Camp Lukban in Catbalogan.
Police and military units in Eastern Visayas have been on alert against possible rebel attacks in the run-up to the NPA’s 34th anniversary on March 29.