3 soldiers killed in Kalinga ambush identified

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Police on Friday said the three soldiers who were killed in a rebel ambush in the hinterlands of Kalinga province last Wednesday have been identified.

A report by the Kalinga police to Camp Dangwa, headquarters of the regional police force in La Trinidad, identified the victims as SSgt. Ci-o, Sgt. Galimba and Pfc. Toribio, all of the Philippine Army’s 21st Infantry Battalion.

The three were killed during a clash with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels at about 4 p.m. last Wednesday at the remote sitio of Lagwak in barangay Limos in Pinukpuk town.

Chief Inspector Joe Baday, chief of police in Pinukpuk, reported that the soldiers were on their way to Pinukpuk from barangay Poswoy in neighboring Balbalan town when they were ambushed. Baday’s report did not name the army soldier who was wounded.

It was unclear if the NPAs who staged the ambush are the same group that bombed a Globe telecommunications tower in barangay Pakawit, also in Pinukpuk, last July 27.

Police said the rebel who was hacked to death by a villager during the cellsite bombing was from barangay Balantoy in Balbalan, which is close to Poswoy village.

The Wednesday ambush came amid President Arroyo’s two-day furlough in Apayao province and Tuguegarao City where she was presented with developmental action plans for Cagayan Valley formulated by the participants to the first-ever local peace and security assembly.

In the meeting, Mrs. Arroyo called on local, military and police officials in the region to “crush the rebels once and for all because they are trying to impede the growth of our country." - GMANews.TV

Blogged with the Flock Browser

"Local reds should do some soul searching" - Yano

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Philippine Army Commanding General Alexander Yano has called on the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) to lay down their arms and join the free market of ideas because if their ideology is superior, they will be victorious in the end.

Yano who was at the 501st Infantry Brigade camp in Calanan, this city, December 14 as part of his Christmas rounds of the troops told local newsmen that the CPP-NPA should take their anniversary on December 26 as a time to do a deep soul searching and accept that their ideology is unacceptable to Filipinos.

Yano claimed that after more than three decades, the CPP-NPA has not made any positive contribution to society but on the contrary, has brought hardships to the country.

Yano said that it is rather ironic that while other countries have repudiated the ideology because they have found that it does not work, the CPP-NPA keeps on trying to establish it in this country.

Yano, however, said there is nothing wrong about local reds espousing their ideology for so long as, they do not use force and arms to force it into Filipinos.

In reaction to the comment of a local media-man that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is fighting the NPA the wrong way because "the only way to win against the guerilla is to out-guerilla him,'' Yano said it is a simplistic view of the "problem because insurgency is multifaceted and complex and the military aspect is just a small part of it.

"This is not just an AFP and PNP problem because it involves social, political, economic and psychological aspects. Even if we address the armed NPA if the other components are not addressed by other agencies, we will not be able to win. The approach should be wholistic," Yano said.

Yano said that even if the AFP annihilates the NPA if other sectors of society including the media think that insurgency is purely a military matter and "we cannot put out act together, we can never win the war."

In his pep talk to the troops, Yano emphasized that the 80,000-strong Philippine Army is a team and its mission is to defeat the CPP-NPA and other threats to the security of the nation.

Saying that in the Army every member counts, he exhorted the soldiers to shake off the culture of mediocrity and do their best in whatever role they are given because the failure of a part in the Army will affect the functioning of the entire complex machine. **By Estanislao Albano Jr., ZZW Dec. 23, 2007

Two government troopers killed in an ambush

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Two government troopers were killed and five of their comrades were wounded when they walked into an ambush set up by the New People's Army (NPA) at sitio Butol, Apatan, Pinukpuk, this province, morning of November 15, according to reports. The victims were identified as Corporal Glenn Cadilinia and CAFGU Macario Mangwag and those injured as 2Lt. Allen Rey Sadio and CAFGUs Rolando Dres, Venancio Lumawig, Rolando Andrade and Benny Bonggawon.

The government troopers numbering around 20 were coming from an operation in Ab-abaan, Balbalan, this province, early morning of November 15 when they were ambushed at Butol by the insurgents numbering more or less 40.

The source said the government troopers fought back and the firefight lasted from 7 to 11 AM.

There were no reported casualties on the side of the rebels. **Estanislao Albatto, Jr., ZZW, Nov. 18, 2007