ILIGAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 1, 2012) – A government militia was wounded in a clash Tuesday with communist rebels in Bukidnon province in the northern part of Mindanao, officials said.
Officials said the New People’s Army rebels detonated a roadside bomb and then attacked patrolling government forces with automatic weapons and sparking a fire fight in Lantapan town.
The Labor Day ambush occurred at around 3 a.m. There were no reports of enemy casualties, according to Major Eugenio Osias, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.
“This is the way the NPA commemorates our Labor Day by trying to kill people who only want to bring peace and development. The NPA will always remain to be the hindrance to peace,” he said.
The rebels – who are fighting for a separate state – have previously warned that it would intensify its offensive against military and government targets in Mindanao.
Government peace talks with communist leaders have failed after Manila rejected a rebel demand for the release of all political prisoners in the country, including NPA leaders facing criminal charges. (Mindanao Examiner)
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