3 soldiers killed in Surigao blast

(San Miguel Surigao)

BUTUAN CITY- Three people were killed while six others were wounded in  an  ambush followed by landmine explosions along provincial road in Sitio Ban-as, Barangay Mahayag, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur  in the  evening of Holy Wednesday, the military said.

Apart from the two dead soldiers, a civilian    also was killed while a companion  was  wounded as the NPA rebels ambushed  a military  convoy  and detonated landmines.

 In an official report filed by 401st Infantry Battalion Public Affairs Officer Captain Jasper T. Gacayan,   the  soldiers belonging to 41st Division Recon Company and 4th Field Artillery Battalion were  on a  convoy of four military trucks when an  undetermined number of NPA rebels  attacked   them.

Gacayan said that as the military trucks stopped  to assess the damage, the rebels fired on the convoy, killing two soldiers and wounding  five others. The rest of the soldiers  disembarked and engaged the  NPA rebels in  a firefight.

Dead on the spot were Army Sgt. Luisilo Pastor, Army Corporal Rey Esmalde Gerzon and a civilian  Danilo Sumaoy Bendanillo.

Five other soldiers   were critically wounded.

Gacayan said the NPA rebels planted landmines which violated the United Nation’s recognized (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

In Gingoog City, a council member and four other people were killed during a Holy Week violence in Misamis Oriental,  police said.

Councilor Mark Bagaipo, 43, was shot by an unidentified assailant.

Four other persons were shot in a spate of violence with the gunmen using .45 caliber pistols, police said.

Police were looking into the series of killings.

Source:http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/04/06/3-soldiers-killed-in-surigao-blast/