Attack on soldiers in relief mission hit

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – The Army deplored yesterday what it described as an inhuman act of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels for last Sunday’s attack on a relief mission in Kalinga that resulted in the death of two soldiers.

The attack on the soldiers who were merely going to deliver relief goods to remote Dao-angan village in Balbalan town was something uncalled for and could not be justified by the rebels’ ideology, the Isabela-based Army’s 5th Infantry Division said.

“I am at a loss for words to express what I feel about it. Our men were merely transporting relief goods for our needy people in that remote part of our country when they were waylaid by the rebels,” said 5th ID chief Maj. Gen. Rommel Gomez.

The Army said the NPA attack was a clear violation of the Geneva Convention, which respects security of medical groups, regardless of political beliefs, when performing humanitarian missions such as relief and medical activities in the field.

The attack was the second in about three weeks. Last Oct. 19, suspected NPA guerrillas also attacked Army troops while on their way to assist a medical outreach mission in Poswoy village, also in Balbalan town.

Last Sunday, several Army troops were escorting vehicles of relief goods and medicine for the joint relief and medical mission with ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya, Lions Club and the local government unit when a band of fully armed rebels waylaid them along the way.

The ambush resulted in the death of Cpl. Jeffrey de los Santos and Pfc. Micholle Alipio, both belonging to the Army’s 21st Infantry Battalion. Both hailed from Cagayan.

Although outnumbered, the government troops managed to fight back, managing to exchange gunfire for about an hour until the rebels retreated.

The Army believed the NPA guerrillas also sustained casualties.

Despite the incident, the relief mission still pushed through in neighboring Limos village in Pinukpuk town with about 200 villagers benefiting from it.

Villagers, who were still reeling from the recent onslaught of typhoons, also received some 220 bags of assorted foodstuff. – With Artemio Dumlao