Soldier killed in Ilocos clash

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines  – An Army officer was slain in broad daylight gunbattle while a reinforcement Air Force chopper was gutted by fire on Friday as state forces and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were engaging in said firefight in a remote Ilocos Sur village.

Reports reaching the Isabela-based Army’s 5th Infantry Division (ID), which has jurisdiction over northern Luzon, said the encounter between the Army troopers and NPA rebels in the vicinity of Santa Lucia town’s Barangay Cuncunig was still going on as of press time yesterday.

The Army identified the lone government fatality as Sgt. Julius Wagayen of the Ilocos Sur-based 51st Infantry Battalion, who was killed in action while they were engaging the communist guerillas in the fierce gunbattle, which erupted before noontime Friday.  

“We are certain that the enemies also suffered heavy casualties as evidenced by profuse bloodstains along their escape path,” said Colonel Loreto Magundayao, chief of the 5th ID’s civil-military relations battalion.

Magundayao said their troops, led by 1Lt. Rene Arandilla were conducting a routine patrol when they chanced upon an undetermined number of communist guerillas in the said area.

Reports said that while the said encounter was in progress, an Air Force Huey (UH-1H) helicopter bearing tail number 330 was burned down after making an emergency landing over a rice field in Barangay Nagrebcan, also in Santa Lucia town about 2:45 p.m. the other day.

The ill-fated chopper, reports said, was one of two aircrafts dispatched to support the Army-led combat mission against the rebels in the area. 

The Army, however, said that the chopper’s eight-government soldiers on board were all able to disembark safely before the chopper went ablaze due to mechanical problem.     

“Before landing, the passengers noticed smoke billowing out of the chopper’s engine, prompting pilots Capt. John Gabor and Lt. Edbert Ngina, to seek safer ground. After landing, it suddenly went on fire,” said 5th ID chief Major Gen. Rommel Gomez.

“It blew up due to mechanical problem and was not hit by enemy fire,” the Army official said.”