11 soldiers killed in Mindoro battle with NPA
SAN PEDRO, LAGUNA—At least 11 soldiers were killed and three others wounded in an ambush by gunmen suspected to be New People’s Army rebels in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, on Saturday morning, according to military officials.
It was the Army’s biggest loss in a single encounter with communist rebels this year.
The soldiers were on patrol when they ran into a fortified camp of the NPA, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Romeo Brawner said.
A three-hour gun battle ensued with “undetermined casualties” on the side of the rebels, he said.
“The troops fought it out literally to the last bullet,” Brawner said.
Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, spokesperson for the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said the ambush was staged by about 60 NPA guerrillas.
More soldiers backed by helicopter gunships had been dispatched to track down the NPA insurgents, he said.
The soldiers were patrolling the area as part of security measures to ensure that candidates in the May elections would be able to campaign safely, said Brawner.
The NPA have been demanding payment from candidates in exchange for “permit to campaign” cards. Those who refuse to pay are attacked and sometimes killed. Maricar P. Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon and AFP
According to officials, at least eleven solders in the Philippines were killed and several others injured on Saturday after a gunfight with Communist rebels in Mindoro, a province south of the capital Manila. It was the deadliest incident between the two since the start of the year.

Army officials commented that a platoon of Filipino soldiers accidentally entered the grounds of the New People's Army (NPA) rebel camp.

"The two sides exchanged fire a few meters apart," remarked army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Noel Detoyato. "... The troops fought it out literally to the last bullet." He commented that the gunfight lasted for about three hours, that about sixty NPA rebels were involved in the clash, and that seven of the Filipino troops were injured.

Another army spokesman, Colonel Romeo Brawner, noted that the troops were in the vicinity as part of security measures implemented for the elections in May, so that the candidates would be able to safely campaign.