Soldier, 2 civilians killed in Catanduanes ambush

LEGAZPI CITY – New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas waylaid a group of soldiers returning to Virac, the capital town of Catanduanes, after checking the rebels’ plan to attack a cell site Saturday, killing one soldier and two civilians, the military said.

Lt. Col. Leoncio Sirunay, commanding officer of the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion based in Ligao City, Albay, said the Army troopers led by 2Lt. Edward Dompol had come from Baras town, some 30 kilometers away from Virac, where they looked into reports that the insurgents were extorting from villagers and plotting to torch a cell site of Globe Telecom there.

Sirunay said the NPA ambushers, numbering about 20, opened fire at the soldiers in Barangay Batolinao, killing Pvt. Jason Dypiang, driver Edgar Pilili and Rodel Dwanya and seriously wounding two other civilians, Ryan Cepada and Diomedes Tataro.

Three other soldiers, identified as 2Lt. Dompol and Pfcs. Kelvin Dolor and David Obispo,  were slightly wounded.

“Our soldiers fought back gallantly and maneuvered to extricate themselves from a disadvantaged position in the one-hour exchange of gunfire,” Sirunay said.

Those wounded were rushed to the Eastern Bicol Medical Center in Virac while Army and police reinforcements pursued the NPA ambushers.

“I am challenging the members of Task Force Karapatan, if they are not supporters of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA terrorists, to investigate the cold-blooded murder by the NPA rebels of the two unarmed and innocent civilians,” Sirunay said.

“The attack bespeaks of the CPP-NPA as terrorists who have no respect whatsoever for those who they kill or hurt as long as they achieve their terrorist objectives,” he added.

Meanwhile, a three-man NPA hit team shot dead Cpl. Johnny Raymundo in a cockpit in Casiguran, Sorsogon last Saturday afternoon.

Three cockfighting aficionados, Edwin Dematera, Andres Estalera and Soling Ebio, were hit by stray bullets.

Last Wednesday, some 100 heavily armed rebels belonging to the NPA’s Mario Felomino Command swooped down on the site of the El Dore Mining Corp. in Labo, Camarines Norte and torched three trucks, a bulldozer, a drill rig and a power generator set.

The mining firm reportedly owned by Australian Timothy Culver has refused to give in to the NPA’s extortion demands.