2 soldiers hurt in Quezon encounter - Army

MANILA, Philippines - Two soldiers were wounded following an early morning clash Thursday with suspected communist rebels in Sariaya town in Quezon province, south of Manila, the spokesman for the Philippine Army said. About 6 a.m., operating elements of the Philippine Air Force's 740th Combat Group engaged an undetermined number of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Mamala 1 village, said Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres. Torres said the wounded soldiers were promptly brought to a military hospital moments after being hit. There were no reported casualties on the rebel side. "They are now stable," Torres said in a text message to reporters, referring to the wounded soldiers. As of posting time, Torres said troops are still scouring the area and conducting pursuit operations against the rebels. At the time of the incident, Torres said the troops were on "combat operations to disrupt the reported efforts of the NPA to recover their former mass base." He added that the village was the site of a previous encounter on March 4 this year wherein two rebels were initially killed and two M16 rifles were recovered. "Earlier this week, a third decomposing body of another suspected rebel was found in the area," Torres said. The 5,700-strong NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). On March 29, the group celebrated its 39th founding anniversary. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had vowed to crush the communist insurgency when she ends her term in June 2010. - GMANews.TV