2 cops hurt in clash with NPA in Iloilo

Two policemen were injured when their team clashed with New People’s Army members in Tubungan, Iloilo, Sunday afternoon, police reported.

Injured were Pat. Jessie Castamado and Cpl. Genel Simpas, both of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC), said Lt. Col. Arnel Solis, Western Visayas regional police spokesperson.

Suspected members of the NPA first “harassed” the PMFC’s base in Brgy. Mayang around 1 a.m., so personnel of that unit conducted pursuit operations, he said.

As the lawmen were scouring Brgy. Jolason around 2:45 p.m., they encountered an undermined number of rebels who then detonated two improvised bombs.

Suspected members of the NPA first “harassed” the PMFC’s base in Brgy. Mayang around 1 p.m., so personnel of that unit conducted pursuit operations, he said.

As the lawmen reached Brgy. Jolason, they encountered an undermined number of rebels who then detonated two improvised bombs.

Castamado and Simpas were wounded in the 7-minute firefight that ensued.

Both policemen have since been brought to the Pedro Trono Memorial District Hospital, where they are now in stable condition.

It has yet to be determined if there were casualties among the rebels, Solis said.

Police units in Iloilo have been alerted of the incident, he added.