Six soldiers hurt in NPA ambush

ILOILO CITY — A blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) caused the injury of six soldiers of the Philippine Army's 61st Infantry Battalion in an ambush by the New People's Army rebels at Barangay Pangilihan in Janiuay town of Iloilo, at around 10:45 p.m. Friday.

A platoon of soldiers-—on board three military trucks from a community service program (CSP) activity in anhawan village of Janiuay—was on their way to the town proper heading to their headquarters at Camp Carreon in Calinog town, when the ambush happened.

The wounded were identified as Sergeant William Biado, Jr., 39, a native of Midsayap, North Cotabato; Corporal (CPL) Ronald Peligro, 34, from Bohol province; CPL Remo Londo Villa, 36, of Mambusao, Capiz; Private First Class (PFC) Joebert Porras, 26, of Calinog, Iloilo; PFC Peter Calugas, 24, of Leon, Iloilo; and PFC Ariel Ea, 24, of Sultan Kudarat.

Captain Eduardo Precioso, Jr., spokesperson of the 3rd Infantry Division, explained that only Peligro was directly wounded from the blast and the other five soldiers only had minor bruises when they jumped out of the trucks. "All six were brought to the hospital to make sure nothing serious have happened to them as a result of the impact," he said.

Peligro, the driver of the first truck, is now recuperating at a hospital in Iloilo City for a shrapnel injury on his face.

Aside from the six soldiers, a certain Daisy Acanto who lived near the site, claimed she was hit by a stray bullet on her back, while she was attending to her grandchildren during the exchange of gunfire right after the blast.

According to reports, members of the New People's Army (NPA) hung the IED at a tree and had it exploded as the Army trucks were passing by. A 15-minute exchange of gunfire followed, but it was not determined yet if the rebels suffered casualties or fatalities as a result. —