Four soldiers slain including an officer,two wounded in a rebel stage ambush in Camarines Sur

LEGAZPI CITY ----At least four Army soldiers died and two others were wounded in an ambush staged by New People’s Army (NPA) on Sunday in a remote village in Presentacion town in Camarines Sur, a military officer said today.

The four bodies of dead soldiers including an officer earlier reported to be missing were retrieved on Sunday by Army trooper in an upland village of Presentacion town in Camarines Sur.

LtCol Ernesto Cruz, Commander of the 42nd Infantry Battalion, said that his unit has already found the bodies of the missing soldiers near the encounter site.

“All of my missing soldiers are already accounted for. We will immediately transport them towards our headquarters in Nabua town,” said Cruz.

Cruz identified the fatalities as First Lieutenant Miguel Logronio Jr, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 2009, Corporal Arturo Hernandez, Pfc Albert Jamera, and Pfc Edwin Britannico. All of them suffered multiple gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds.

Injured were Private First Class Jerry Magdasoc and Carlos Codires, both sustained gunshot wounds on their legs.

Responding soldiers also found Private First Class Bernard Vergara who was unscathed in the said ambush.

The victims were members of a team of soldiers dispatched to conduct pursuit operations against New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who were involved in a shooting incident in Bicalen village, Presentacion, Camarines Sur.

The soldiers were ambushed by more or less 20 heavily armed rebels at around 3:00am Sunday at barangay San Francisco, Presentacion, Camarines Sur.

Major Harold Cabunoc, Division Spokesman said that the 12-man squad of soldiers led by First Lieutenant Miguel Logronio Jr, were on combat patrol in a remote village in Presentacion town when they were ambushed by NPA who were positioned in a forested area.

Vergara was among the five soldiers reported missing by military authorities. He was able to send a text message to his superiors about his status, triggering the large-scale rescue operations starting early this morning.

“I was lucky enough to have jumped towards a defilade area during the detonation of the first set of landmines. We gave them a good fight but the terrorist rebels have occupied a higher ground. The number of Molotov bombs and grenades thrown at us seemed endless so I decided to crawl farther away from the encounter site,” said Vergara.

“We had also inflicted casualties among our ambushers. I have personally seen them carrying their dead and wounded from my concealed position near the encounter site,” Vergara added.

Responding soldiers led by First Lieutenant Nonito Alcala found four unexploded landmines near the roadside. His troops also discovered some droplets of blood in the rebel positions.

“The rebels were planning to wipe out any military vehicle that will pass by their ambush position. They have planted larger sized landmines near the road and any large truck can be blown to pieces by those mines,” Alcala said.

Major General Ruperto Pabustan, Commander of the 9th Infantry Division, has directed the 902nd Brigade to intensify its combat patrols and security operations to protect the road project which links Presentacion and Caramoan towns. (MSArguelles, PNA Bicol)

Anti narcotics agents raid marijuana plantation in Albay

LIGAO CITY --- Anti-narcotics operatives swooped down on Saturday a vast marijuana plantation and uprooted some 361 fully grown marijuana plants in barangay Baligang a village at the upper slope of Mayon volcano here, a ranking official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)in Bicol said today.

Joint elements of the PDEA, Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Army (PA) also collared Orly Ocbian the suspected g rower of the MJ plantation located within the designated 6 kilometers Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) area at the upper slopes of Mayon volcano.

Pedrito Magsino PDEA regional director said the raid was in response to a PDEA informant that there exist a marijuana plantation with fully grown marijuana plants ready for harvest in a hinterland of said village.

Magsino said he immediately formed and dispatch a composite team and send them to the area.

The team raided the plantation at around 3:00 a.m. on Satruday and found the fully grown marijuana plants at the 850 square meter government land.

The raiding immediately uprooted the hundreds of marijuana plants and brought them at the PDEA office in Police Camp Gen. Simeon Ola in Legazpi City while the suspect was likewise detained awaiting the filing of appropriate criminal charges for violation of the comprehensive dangerous drug act.(MSArguelles, PNA Bicol)