Army switches tactics amid tips of major Reds attack in mayor's hometown
From "offensive mode," government troopers operating in the hinterland villages of Antique have now switched to "defensive mode."
As such, fully-armed Army soldiers sent in to back up the forces of the Philippine Army's (PA) 31st Reconnaissance Group are expected to be highly-visible in the town of San Remigio.
Said municipality, intelligence reports reaching the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) disclosed, has apparently become the major target of yet more aggressive communist terroristic attack. This, after communist terrorists New People's Army (NPA) failed to get Mayor Elizabeth Coloso in a daring ambush Friday. Killed in said incident were two Army soldiers who served as security and advance party of the lady mayor. When the first round of shots were fired, Mayor Coloso was about a kilometer away and immediately secured to higher grounds.
"From hot pursuit operations since Friday to Sunday evening, we shifted to defensive mode to secure local officials and the masses of San Remigio, Antique. We gathered that Concha Araneta of the Panay Regional Terrorist Committee ordered that an attack must be made here particularly the residence of Mayor Coloso," Captain Lowen Gil Marquez, commanding officer of the AFP's 3rd Civil Relations Group said when reached for update by The News Today (TNT).
It was not immediately clear if additional government forces will be sent in however Captain Marquez assured that all law enforcement agencies of the government have responded to the San Remigio attack.
With the security up all throughout San Remigio, focus is set on hinterland villages where known communist presence are felt. A major infrastructure project is underway here with the construction of a multi-million road network.
Captain Marquez said extortion attempts were made on the contractors with a message - "no P2 million, no road."