BUTUAN CITY , Philippines – Five police officers were wounded when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bacuag town in Surigao del Norte on Saturday.
The police officers reportedly came from an inauguration of a farm-to-market road project in Barangay Dugsangan when the IED exploded at the boundary of the village of Paypay, according to Senior Inspector Liza Montenegro, spokesperson for the Surigao del Norte police.
The officers were reportedly part of an advance team tasked to secure Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Deles and her group who attended the event.
“Secretary Deles and her entourage which includes other top government officials were three kilometers away from the area when the explosion occurred,†said Army spokesman Major Christian Uy of the 4th Infrantry Division.
“The officers, belonging to the Bacuag municipal police and the provincial police safety command, suffered minor injuries,†he said.
But a source from the NPA told The STAR in a text message that among those wounded was the head of the Bacuag police.