LCTs Extortion Attempt Thwarted By Civilian Volunteers

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur – Responding to a report of a concerned resident regarding the presence of local communist terrorists (LCTs) in Brgy Sulong, San Miguel, Catanduanes, troops from Special Civilian Active Auxiliary (SCAA) 1st CAT SCAA Echo Company led by Army Sergeant Lozada quickly deployed and eventually fought off more or less twenty (20) fully armed LCTs on September 7, 2009. The firefight lasted for about thirty (30) minutes after which the LCTs withdrew towards the forested area of Brgy. San Miguel. There is no casualty on the government side and not a single engineering equipment was burned as intended by the LCTs. Construction work is still ongoing as of this time.

Accordingly, a group of heavily-armed LCTs confiscated earlier the keys of two (2) Dump trucks, two (2) Backhoe and Drilling Machine used in the construction of Sulong Hydro-Electric power dam, a project envisioned to benefit the province of Catanduanes, and its construction is being undertaken by Sunwest Group of Companies. Intelligence report states that the said company refused to pay extortion money demanded by the LCTs hence the attempted burning of equipments.

MGEN RUPERTO R PABUSTAN, CG 9ID, congratulated the personnel of Sulong Detachment for their timely response on the incident. He further reminded them to be more vigilant and to intensify their security patrols in their area of responsibility to pre-empt any enemy attack.