LUCENA CITY – Two soldiers were wounded in an encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Balayan town in Batangas province on Saturday, the military said Sunday. In a statement, Colonel Teody Toribio, spokesperson of the military’s Southern Luzon Command, said the soldiers sustained minor injuries and were in stable condition in a military hospital. ADVERTISEMENTThe clash in Barangay (village) Patugo at about 8:30 a.m. foiled attacks planned by the rebels to celebrate the NPA’s founding anniversary on March 29, the military said. Toribio said concerned citizens informed a combat group from the Air Force about the consolidation of NPAs in Balayan which prompted a joint military-police operation. The military said the rebels that they encountered were remnants of the NPA group operating in Batangas that lost 15 members in a firefight in Nasugbo town in November last year.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 11, 2018 02:03 UTC