4 NPAs killed, soldier wounded in clash

BUTUAN CITY — At least four New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas were killed while a soldier of the Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion was wounded when patrolling government troops clashed with some 30 rebels in Barangay Los Angeles, Butuan City yesterday, authorities said.

Chief Superintendent Geary Lingan Barias, Caraga police director, said the military seized three M-16 Armalite rifles, a Garand, an M-203 rifle and subversive documents after the encounter which lasted for nearly one hour.

Barias ordered the police to monitor all private and public hospitals and clinics in nearby areas to check wounded guerrillas who might have sought medical treatment.

Barias also placed municipal police stations all over Caraga on alert for retaliatory attacks of the NPA.

Col. Isidro Purisima, the 30th IB’s commanding officer, identified the wounded soldier as Pfc. Alberto Sinahon.

Meanwhile, two tunnel workers in a mining site in Barobo, Surigao del Sur were wounded when some 100 suspected NPA guerrillas swooped down on the area the other day.

According to a belated report, the heavily armed men, some of them clad in fatigue uniforms, arrived on foot at the mining site in Barangay Tambis.

The armed men reportedly disarmed a certain SPO1 Raymundo Dupitas of his 9-mm pistol and took the chainsaw of one Raul Gulpan.

While fleeing from the mining area, the suspected rebels shot and wounded tunnel workers Francisco Turo-turo, 66, and Lote Eroy, 48, police said. — Ben Serrano, Roel Pareño