4 soldiers wounded in Bukidnon encounter

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Four personnel of the Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion were wounded in an encounter with New People’s Army guerillas in Barangay Hagpa in Impasug-ong, Bukidnon on Friday, May 23.

Major Gen. Michele Anayron, Jr., commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro City, confirmed on Sunday, May 25, that four soldiers were injured in the incident, now recuperating in a hospital.

Local executives and leaders of indigenous tribes in Bukidnon had told reporters that a group of NPAs provoked the gunfight when they opened fire on the soldiers dispatched to Barangay Hagpa to check on reports by traditional community elders about their presence in the area, collecting money and rice from villagers at gunpoint.

Anayron had assured to provide the injured 28th IB members with adequate support for their medical needs.

Chieftains of ethnic groups in Bukidnon province, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, had told reporters that four NPAs, identified only as Ruben, Mario, Ariel and Sandro, were wounded in the incident.

The four wounded NPAs were reportedly seen being carried away by companions as they fled when they sensed that the Army teams that they attacked were about to encircle their location.

Provincial officials and members of the multi-sector Impasug-ong Municipal Peace and Order Council said the guerillas involved in the hostilities are among the few remaining remnants of the NPAs extorting money from hapless residents in far-flung hinterland areas in their municipality.