Troops clash with NPA gunmen in Guingona ambush

MANILA, Philippines - A soldier was wounded on Sunday in a clash with a band of communist guerillas believed to be behind the attack on the convoy of Gingoog Mayor Ruthie Guingona hours earlier in a remote village in Misamis Oriental.

“We are presuming that the group encountered the same group because the encounter site was near (the area where the ambush took place),” said Maj. Leo Bongosia, spokesman of the Philippine Army’s 4th division.

Bongosia said the encounter took place about two kilometers from the remote town of Alatagan in barangay Kapitulangan where Guingona’s convoy was waylaid.

“Our troops were able to track down the enemies. Basically, that is the purpose of the responding troops – to track down the perpetrators,” he said.

Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo showed that a 15-minute firefight broke out when troops from the 58th Infantry Battalion chanced upon some 15 guerillas in barangay Samay in Gingoog City at 3:20 p.m or a few hours after the attack on Guingona’s convoy.

The mayor is the wife of former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr. and mother of Sen. Teofisto Guingona III.

Two of the mayor’s bodyguards died in the ambush, while two others were injured.

Wounded on Sunday’s encounter was Cpl. Arnold Umaoeng, who suffered injuries in his right leg. Authorities have not determined whether the rebels suffered casualties.

The rebels are believed to be members of the Guerilla Front 4B of the New People’s Army’s North Central Mindanao Regional Command.

President Aquino vowed to make the ambushers face justice.

“I promise that in all my power and in all my strength and in the name of the law, those responsible will pay. We shall pursue and ensnare those responsible for this atrocity,” Aquino said in Filipino in a speech at the Jose Pelaez Roa Park in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

Malacañang also stressed the government does not tolerate the rebels’ collection of funds from candidates in the coming elections.

“Permit to campaign is not tolerated under our system of government,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“With respect to the peace process, it’s obvious that the CPP-NPA-NDF is not interested in pursuing peace talks with us. Our position has been very, very clear. We are committed to resolving the internal armed conflicts peacefully,” he stressed.

More police, military presence

Sen. Guingona said increasing the presence of soldiers and policemen would greatly help keep peace and stability in his home province.

He said the local government has no army of its own to stop the rebels from setting up checkpoints or collecting “revolutionary taxes.”

“I would like to say that you cannot put a soldier in every square meter of the country. And you cannot have policemen everywhere all the time. But that being said, it’s clear there are intensified efforts now by law enforcement agencies  (to go after the suspects),” he said.

The senator noted that the nearest military camp is based in Cagayan de Oro City, which is three hours away from the city.

“The province is surrounded by mountains. Bukidnon is adjacent to Agusan and Bukidnon.  So there is really a need for increased military presence in the area, even after elections,” he said. He also condemned the NPA’s setting up of checkpoints in the area.

“No one has the right to claim that this territory is theirs. No. The whole country is called the Republic of the Philippines under the administration of Noynoy Aquino. Lets be clear on that,” Guingona said.

Guingona said he hopes the Commission on Elections would put the province under its control to prevent further violence during the rest of the campaign period.  

“So I take that as a commitment, after all, if what happened in Gingoog City is not sufficient to merit it a hotspot then I don’t know what it will take to merit it as a hotspot,” the senator said.

Guingona said his family wants more time and space before responding to the NPA’s appeal for forgiveness.

“Give us time,” he said, quoting a statement of his father on the NPA’s apology.

Poll hotspots

Meanwhile, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said seven to eight more provinces would be added to the Comelec’s list of areas considered “high risk” or those likely to witness violence in the coming elections.

Brillantes, however, did not name the areas, which he discussed during a closed-door meeting with officials of Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines and Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday at Camp Crame.

“We have 15 areas of concern. But seven or eight will be added and now we are going up to some categories,” said Brilantes.

Earlier, the PNP said four more provinces were likely to be added to the list of areas considered “high risk.”

The four provinces are Ilocos Norte in Luzon, Northern Samar in the Visayas and Sulu and Zamboanga del Norte, both in Mindanao.

“We have changed the category of hot spots to areas of concern, areas of immediate concern, areas of grave concern and Comelec control,” said Brillates without elaborating. – With Paolo Romero, Gerry Lee Gorit, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla, Jess Diaz, Christina Mendez, Alexis Romero