NPA Attack Wounds A 3-Year Old Boy

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur – Heavily armed NPA rebels harassed the troops of the 49th Infantry Battalion in Bgy Bato, Bacon District, Sorsogon City on 09 February 2010 at around 4:45pm, an Army official said here today.

Major Harold Cabunoc, the 9ID Spokesman, said that more or less 5 NPA bandits positioned themselves about 100m from the harboring area of the 9-man Army squad led by Cpl Reynaldo Rivera and opened fire at the troops.

A five-minute firefight ensued with the NPA rebels firing heavy caliber rifles including M203 Grenade Launchers at the defending soldiers. No one was hurt among the Army troopers but a 3-year old boy identified as a Rodel Ebio was hit by M203 High Explosives shrapnel in his left foot. He was immediately brought by the soldiers to the nearest hospital.

The CPP-NPA-NDF has stepped up its small-scale attacks and murder of 9ID personnel with the fast approaching local and national elections.

On February 7, 2010 (Sunday), a militiaman identified as CAA Pedro Rodriguez, 33yrs old was murdered by two suspected NPA-SPARU (Special Partisan Unit) members while on off-duty status at his home in Bgy Guruyan, Juban, Sorsogon.
Then on January 29, 2010, a soldier and a CAFGU companion survived the ambush staged by NPA rebels in Sitio Salvacion, Bgy Gurang-gurang, Donsol, Sorsogon. An NPA bandit was killed when the wounded soldier fought back the numerically superior attackers with his Caliber .45 pistol.

In a radio interview, Major Cabunoc said, “The CPP-NPA-NDF terrorists are intensifying its harassments and murderous killing spree on our unarmed personnel to project their strength and terrorize the people. This is their strategy to sow fear and effectively impose their money-making racket of extorting money from businessmen and politicians”.

Major General Ruperto Pabustan, Commander of the 9th Infantry Division, directed the 49th Infantry Battalion to conduct continuous security operations in remote baranggays to discourage politicians from giving extortion money to the NPA bandits.