ABOUT 50 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed Philippine Army troops delivering food relief to families affected by tropical storm Urduja in Catubig town of Northern Samar on Saturday, wounding two soldiers, a civil-military operations officer said. Second Lieutenant Michelle Estares, 20IB civil-military operations officer, said in a report on Sunday the two wounded soldiers were immediately taken to the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital. NDRRMC spokesperson Romina Marasigan said the troops on duty at the time were only there to serve the evacuees displaced by Urduja. From its latest report on Sunday, 20 incidents were monitored in the regions of Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Bicol; Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas. A total of 51,004 families or 221,953 people were affected in 492 barangay (villages) in Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Caraga.

Source: Manila Times December 17, 2017 16:52 UTC