Pastor killed in NPA ambush

A PASTOR was killed while two men were wounded when they were ambushed by the National People’s Army (NPA) on Wednesday, April 18, at Sico-sico Bridge, Barangay Lahi, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte.

Captain Al Athony Pueblas, 402nd Infantry Brigade Civil military operations (CMO) officer identified the body of the victim as Jepti Acido, 32, resident of Tayaga, Claver, Surigao del Norte while the two wounded were identified as Virgil Flor Ortiz, 23, also from Barangay Tayaga and Adner Malaque, 20, a resident of Barangay Villafranca, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte.

Pueblas said that the incident is very unfortunate since the rebels still continues to attack and murder innocent civilians despite the planned peace talks between the NPA and the government and even after they’ve signed the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

Under the Part IV, Article IV item number 4 of CARHRIHL, it states that civilian populace and the civilians shall be treated as such and shall be distin-

guished from combatants and, together with their property, shall not be the object of attack.

Brigadier General Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of 402nd Infantry brigade on one hand condemned the NPA's acts of terrorism which poses an even bigger threat to the civilian populace and to the economic situation of Surigao del Norte.

"Nevertheless, these attacks only fuel our utmost desire to protect our people from these thugs," Gacal said.

“In coordination with the PNP, we will hunt them down to bring justice to the victims and their families," he added.