BACOLOD CITY: With only two days left before the Barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) elections, two soldiers were killed while six others were wounded in a clash early on Saturday morning between government troops and suspected rebels in a mountain village in Negros Occidental. But a statement released by the NPA’s Mount Cansermoon Command on Saturday claimed the incident was not an encounter as claimed by the military but an ambush they conducted against the troops. It also claimed no casualty or wounded on their side during the 30-minute firefight. Last week, the group also burned down heavy equipment and a bunk for workers of a dam project of the National Irrigation Administration. A statement it released claimed responsibility for the atrocity because they said project will affect farmers in the area.

Source: Manila Times May 12, 2018 16:18 UTC