BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – An improvised explosive device believed to have been set off by rebels wounded two Philippine Army soldiers in Brgy. Nalundan, Guimbal, Iloilo.
Sergeant Reden Dimzon and Corporal Allen Cris Garapa, both members of the 82nd Infantry Battalion based in Brgy. Quirayan, Miag-ao, were rushed to the Rep. Pedro Trono Memorial District Hospital in Guimbal town for treatment.
Yesterday afternoon’s blast followed an encounter between the New People’s Army (NPA) and the 61st Infantry Battalion in Brgy. Lahug, Tapaz, Capiz. It was unclear as of press time of the two attacks were related.
The blast occurred around 2:55 p.m. Dimzon and Garapa were aboard a military truck with other soldiers. They were supposed to proceed to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town.
After the blast, rebels fired at the truck and the stunned government troops, then fled.
According to Major Ray Tiongson, 3rd Infantry Division spokesperson, Dimzon and Garapa sustained shrapnel wounds.
“We believe the rebels were responsible for this. Luckily, our soldiers were merely slightly hit,” he said.
The NPA is known to use improvised explosive devices in its offensives.
On Monday, Corporal Genifer Gaston, 36, of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental was wounded in an encounter around 12:10 p.m. in Brgy. Lahug, Tapaz.
The armed rebels numbering to about 15 exchanged gunshots with troops of the 61st Infantry Battalion for nearly two hours, said Tiongson.
No rebel had been captured or killed./PN
