Marine killed, another wounded in Patikul ambush

MANILA, Philippines - A Marine was killed while another one was hurt in an ambush by suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu province on Tuesday morning. Authorities identified the fatality as Corporal Manuel Ganzon and the injured Marine as Corporal Lario Arbas of the Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 5. Reports said that the two soldiers were riding tandem on a motorcycle when five armed rebels waylaid the soldiers at around 7:30 a.m. along Dan Puti-Liang Highway in Barangay (village) Liang in Patikul town. "It's a hit and run," said Lieutenant Colonel Nestor Herico, MBLT 5 chief, adding no firefight ensued. The victims sustained a number of gunshot wounds from 45-cal pistols and Armalite rifles. Arbas was killed on the spot. A separate report from the radio said that Ganzon was traumatized by the incident even as he undergoes treatment at the V. Luna Hospital. "We are conducting hot pursuit operations but we are having difficulty because there are only five of them and can easily hide," Herico said. Patikul is a fourth-class municipality in the Mindanao island province of Sulu with a population of 34,396 people in 5,939 households. Over in Sorsogon province, a military soldier, initially identified as Private First Class Jesse Domanico, was wounded when a group of suspected New People's Army rebels attacked in Irosin town. A radio report on Wednesday said that prior to the firefight, members of the Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion attended a wake of their colleague who had died in battle. As they were heading back to their detachment unit on board a 6x6 military truck, the soldiers were attacked by a 30-strong group of rebels in Barangay Salvacion, Irosin. A firefight ensued between the warring groups, with Domanico emerging hurt. Reinforcements failed to arrive at the area in time as the rebels blocked the road with logs. Irosin is a third-class municipality in the central Philippine island of Sorsogon with a population of 45,507 people in 8,639 households. - GMANews.TV