Mayor condemns NPA’s bomb attack in Samar

By DPAO, 8ID PA
January 25, 2022

CATBALOGAN CITY – An anti-personnel mine was detonated by communist NPA terrorists in Brgy Pelaon, Pinabacdao, Samar at around 08:26 in the morning January 25, 2022.

An army soldier and a CAFGU Active Auxilliary (CAA) were wounded by the explosion. The victims were on their way to a site for a new detachment when the incident happened. The construction of a new detachment was initiated in response to an earlier request by the local community leaders and residents.

Mayor Teodorico Mabag of the Municipality of Pinabacdao, Samar condemned the communist terrorist’s use of anti-personnel mine as it poses significant risk to the lives of the civilian community of Brgy Pelaon where the explosion happened.

"The incident proves the CPP-NPA’s willful disregard on the safety and well-being of humanity. Their continuing manufacture, stockpile, and use of anti-personnel mine is a gross disrespect to the UN convention that bans anti-personnel mines to protect humans from its mutilating effects and suffering. The leaders of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), which represented the NPA in past peace negotiations, should be held answerable for the continuing IHL violations of the NPA that they have been representing," Maj Gen Edgardo De Leon, Commander 8ID said.

In September 18, 1997 the Ottawa Convention banned the Use, Stockpile, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel mine to put an end on the unnecessary suffering and desecration of human body caused by its explosion. Aside from NPA’s use and stockpile of the banned anti-personnel Mines, the communist terrorists were observed to be abandoning explosive mines they laid hidden on trail, posing great risks to innocent civilians passing along. For the year 2021 alone, troops of 8th Infantry Division have discovered and safely recovered 96 pieces of abandoned anti-personnel mines in various parts of Region 8.

As of this report, the wounded servicemen were already evacuated safely and brought to medical facility for treatment.