5 soldiers killed, 8 hurt in Abra landmine blast

TUBO, Abra -- Five Army soldiers were killed while eight others were wounded after their group tripped on a landmine reportedly set up by New People’s Army rebels in Tubo, Abra Monday night.

Maj. Rosendo Armas, Armed Forces’ Northern Luzon Command spokesman, confirmed this in a text message to newsmen, although 1st Lt. Eduard Sia-ed, information officer of the Army’s 503rd Infantry Brigade, confirmed only six wounded.

Nolcom though, in an earlier official statement, merely referred to “several casualties” in the incident.

Pressed for more details, Armas later said five Army soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded in the landmine explosion.

The Nolcom statement said the victims were all from the 501st Infantry Brigade. It did not name those killed but identified among those wounded as Sgt. Rodolfo Dombrique Jr., Pfcs. Frank Nawi, Felix Gac-oy, Antonio Allawi, Jaylord Robredo, and Glendon Guillermo, and Pvt. Jay-ar Laman.

The wounded were flown to the Abra Provincial Hospital in Bangued for treatment and eventually to the AFP Medical Center in Quezon City the following day, with the help of the Abra provincial government and Abra Rep. Cecilia Seares Luzon, Nolcom said.

The soldiers were conducting pursuit operations when one of them tripped on an improvised explosive device, which Nolcom identified as a landmine allegedly planted by fleeing NPA guerrillas in a mountainous area in Barangay Kili, Tubo town, a report from Sia-ed said.

Pursuit operations were led by the 503rd IB headed by Col. Essel Soriano but the NPA rebels were believed to have mixed with local residents.

An attempt of the NPA rebels to ambush soldiers from the 41st IB led to a firefight in Barangay Lat-ey in Malibcong, Abra at around 1 p.m. last Tuesday, but no casualties were reported on either side, Nolcom said.

Earlier, NPA guerillas killed five soldiers in remote villages here morning of Jan. 31, bringing the government military forces’ death toll to at least 10 since last week in the Cordillera.

The communist rebels ambushed members of the Philippine Army’s 41st Infantry Batallion in a forested area in Barangay Mataragan here immediately killing Privates First Class Robert Lobhoy, Saldivar Anno, Honey Mateo, Angelo Calderon and Santiago Decena.

Eight more were wounded: Privates First Class Ronel Villanueva; Manny Marcos; Neceson Gemino; Alfredo Ganongan; Abraham Bobis; Billy Ray Noblado; Conrado Torres and Private Brainard Dumondon.

Government casualties were airlifted to the Abra Provincial Hospital before noon Monday.

Army Lt. Col Ignacio Madriaga, commander of the 41st IB said his men were doing “community relations activities” in barangays such as barangay projects on livelihood and literacy.

Army Colonel Essel Soriano, commander of the 503rd Infantry Brigade, said hust a few hours before the bloody attack, two Philippine Army soldiers: Privates First Class Jason Pantaleon and Jayson Grutas were wounded when rebels also attacked soldiers in barangay Kili, Tubo town, also a rebel-infested area in Abra at around 7 a.m. also on Jan. 31.

Immediately after the twin attacks, Air Force helicopters which earlier also backed up ground troops pursuing rebels in Mountain Province last week, pursued the fleeing insurgents.

Five soldiers were also killed rebels in remote Mainit village in Bontoc, Mountain Province’s capital town last week, in the first fiercest battle between government troops and rebels in the Cordillera this year.