Rebel plan to bomb transmitters foiled

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Soldiers belonging to the Mayapay Patrol base of the 4th Infantry "Diamond" Division in Butuan City foiled last Sunday a plan by the New People’s Army (NPA) to sabotage a number of telecommunication transmitters in the province.

But one soldier and one rebel were wounded in the skirmish.

Major General Cristolito Balaoing, commanding general of the 4th ID, said his troops encountered an undetermined number of armed communist terrorists in Barangay Olave, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte at around 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

Balaoing said soldiers detailed to the Mayapay Patrol Base were securing the commercial telecommunications transmitters on the Butuan side of Mt. Mayapay when they received reports that the rebels were planting bombs at the base of the towers of the Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Company (PLDT) and Philippine Telegraph and Telephone (PT&T).

The soldiers engaged the rebels, who reportedly all belong to the Front Committee 4A of the North Central Mindanao, in a firefight.

After a 30-minute gunbattle, Balaoing said the rebels withdrew to different directions. Government troops recovered two M16 and two M14 rifles, a shotgun and caliber .22 rifle, one hand grenade and volumes of subversive documents.

They also captured one wounded rebel, who was brought to the Agusan del Norte provincial hospital in Butuan City for treatment. Meanwhile the wounded soldier was brought to Camp Evangelista extension hospital in Bancasi, Butuan City.