10 rebels, 2 cops killed in Bulacan clashes

SAN RAFAEL, Bulacan — At least 10 communist rebels and two policemen were killed while two other policemen and two soldiers were wounded in separate clashes in this province yesterday, military reports said.

Men of the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion on routine patrol in Barangay Balaong in San Miguel town ran into some 30 to 40 guerrillas of the New People’s Army (NPA), touching off the fighting, the reports said.

Two still unidentified soldiers were wounded in the clash.

"The operation is still ongoing and pockets of firefight continue," Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual, Armed Forces spokesman, told reporters.

Reinforcements were sent to the site with reports from the field saying that key rebel leaders could be among those trapped, Pascual said.

Meanwhile, two members of the 306th Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) were killed and two of their colleagues were wounded when rebels attacked their detachment in Barangay Sampaloc here.

The two fatalities were identified as SPO3 Amante Puma and SPO2 Benito Deticio, and the wounded as PO2 Jericho Redon and PO3 Juan Cunanan.

The rebels fired at the police outpost as they passed by on board a passenger jeepney.

Authorities said the attack was meant to prevent the men of the 306th PMG from reinforcing the soldiers engaged in the San Miguel clash.

It was the second NPA attack on the 306th PMG’s detachment. The first was in 2003 when rebels also tried to prevent the policemen from reinforcing government troops battling with insurgents in San Ildefonso town.

The NPA is the 8,000-strong armed wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines, which has been waging a 36-year Maoist campaign to seize power. — With Ric Sapnu, Cecille Suerte Felipe and AFP