DAVAO CITY – At least two soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded when New People’s Army rebels ambushed early yesterday morning a military convoy that was on its way back to its headquarters at Sitio Havana, Barangay Catigan, Toril district, this city.
According to Col. Benito de Leon, chief-of-staff of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, the ambush took place just a day after a mass oath-taking of about 300 residents in Barangay Catigan who pledged anew their allegiance to the nation.
The oath-taking was reportedly aimed to convince the local community to help in the fight against insurgency especially since Barangay Catigan is known to be a lair of the communist guerrillas.
“It appears that the meaning of the oath-taking has not really sank in yet among the residents and immediately the soldiers were ambushed,” De Leon said.
De Leon identified the victims as Private First Class Arnel Ado and CAFGU Auxiliary Gaudencio Samson, both elements of the 66th Infantry Battalion of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade, based in Catigan. De Leon said that of the seven who were wounded, four were soldiers and three were CAFGU members.
The soldiers were reportedly able to retaliate and fired back at the rebels wherein the firefight lasted for more than 20 minutes.
Task Force Davao commander Col. Alan Luga said the ambush also showed that the NPA rebels did not heed the call of the family of Vicente Ferrazini, a local businessman, who was killed by the alleged Sparrow Unit of the communist insurgents.
In a statement, the NPA rebels claimed that the businessman was killed because the Ferrazinis had allowed the military units the use of their land as camp in Barangay Catigan.
However, in a subsequent statement, the NPA rebels retracted their earlier claim and ask apology for the mistake committed in killing Ferrazini.
“This morning the NPAs in Davao del Sur defied the call of the local residents to leave them in peace by conducting more violence when in a cowardly act they ambushed our troops,” Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said.
“The ambush act took place at Sitio Havana, Barangay Catigan, Davao del sur at 6:30 p.m.,” Torres said.
In the fighting that lasted for 20 minutes, the soldiers then aboard a military vehicle, fought back.
This forced the rebels to withdraw towards a forested area, Torres said.
The fleeing rebels are now being pursued by government troops using K9 trackers.
A helicopter gunship has been dispatched to provide cover for the ground troops, Torres said.