The rebels carted away the lawmen’s M-16 Armalite rifles after overpowering them in a 10-minute firefight.
In a radio interview, though, Maria Malaya, New People’s Army spokeswoman, apologized to the lawmen’s families, saying what occurred was a "misencounter."
Meanwhile, NPA rebels waylaid the security personnel of the Paper Industries Corp. of the Philippines in Bislig City yesterday, wounding one of the guards. — Ben Serrano