Two soldiers of the Philippine Army, who were also part of the search and rescue operations for the missing Cessna plane in Bicol, were shot dead on Tuesday by suspected rebels from the New People's Army (NPA).
In a statement, the Philippine Army's 9th Infantry Division identified the victims as Privates John Paul Adalim and Mark June Esico, both assigned at the 31st Infantry Battalion.
According to the 9th ID, Adalim and Esico were on a supply mission in a supermarket in Barangay Cotmon in Camasalig, Albay when shot dead by three suspects around 7 AM.
The victims died on the spot due to the injuries they sustained.
"Sinamantala ng Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) ang pagiging abala ng tropa ng 31st Infantry Battalion sa pagtulong sa isinasagawang search and rescue operation sa bumagsak na Cessna Plane sa Albay matapos na tambangan ng mga ito ang dalawang sundalong namimili lamang ng suplay," the 9th ID said.
The Army said the soldiers were deployed in the area to augment the search-and-rescue operations for the missing four passengers aboard the Cessna plane that crashed last February 18 near the summit crater of Mount Mayon.
The plane was carrying four people — the pilot, a crew member, and two passengers.
Major General Adonis Bajao of Joint Task Force Bicolandia condemned the incident, calling it an act of “cowardice.”
“Masyado nang desperado ang mga teroristang grupo dahil sa walang humpay na operasyon sa kabundukan ng Philippine Army na nagpapahina pa lalo sa kanilang grupo,” Bajao said in a statement.
