DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A village chief was killed and three soldiers were wounded by New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in Malita, Davao del Sur last Saturday, the military said.
Lt. Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesman of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said some 30 NPA rebels held hostage a certain Susan Danwata, 52, wife of barangay chairman Ramon Danwata, in Barangay Datu Danwata, Malita town at around 9 a.m.
The hostage-takers, members of the NPA Guerrilla Front 71, then called on the village chief to come out of his house.
“Danwata, a staunch supporter of the government’s peace and development program, came out but was peppered with bullets by his wife’s hostage-takers and died instantly,” Aguilar said in a text message.
Troops from the 39th Infantry Battalion responded to the call for help but were attacked by the insurgents.
Three soldiers were wounded in the ambush launched by the rebels in Barangay Bolila, also in Malita town.
“Initially traumatized by the attack, local residents came running to help the wounded soldiers and brought them to the nearby hospital,” Aguilar said.
The wounded soldiers are now recovering at the Camp Panacan Station Hospital. The rebels released their hostage after killing her husband.
Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia, commander of the Army’s 10th ID, said the incident would not hamper the government’s development programs in the area.
The incident happened two days after rebels killed three soldiers involved in developmental projects in Tagum City, Davao del Norte last Jan. 6. Slain were Sgt. Eliseo Togue, Pfc. Mylon Ewik and Pfc. Juan Valloyas.
The three soldiers were on a “peace and development” mission in Barangay Magdum when they were attacked by rebels led by a certain Ka Wendel.
The ambush came in the wake of the capture by security forces of top rebel leader Tirso “Ka Bart” Alcantara, who is facing various criminal charges.
Alcantara, who was tagged in the killing of former communist leader Romulo Kintanar in 2003, was nabbed by security forces last Tuesday in Lucena City, Quezon.
The Communist Party of the Philippines has demanded the immediate release of Alcantara, saying he is covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
Under the JASIG, staff, members, and consultants of the National Democratic Front who are part of the negotiating panel enjoy immunity from arrest.
The communists said the government should release Alcantara before the resumption of the formal talks, set tentatively in Oslo, Norway on Feb. 19-25. – With Edith Regalado