Civilian killed in crossfire in Sorsogon clash—Army

NAGA CITY, Philippines—A civilian was killed by a stray bullet after he was caught in the crossfire of clashing suspected rebels and Army soldiers in a hinterland village of Bulusan, Sorsogon, on Thursday.

Colonel Cesar Idio, commander of Philippine Army’s 903rd Infantry Brigade, identified the fatality as Jestoni Fortes Garote, 29, a farmer of Upper Barangay San Jose, Bulusan.

Idio said Garote happened to be in the same area when a team of soldiers from the 31st Infantry Battalion engaged suspected members of New People’s Army (NPA) in a firefight at 6:45 a.m. Thursday.

Lieutenant Clint Antipala, spokesman of the 903rd IB, said the soldiers were conducting security operations in the village when they were fired upon by the rebels.

Prior to the encounter, Antipala said they received an information via text message from a concerned resident that the same rebels were forcing villagers to join their rally against the government to commemorate the declaration of Martial Law on September 21 in a still unknown location in Bicol.

Antipala said a team from the Philippine National Police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) was called to the clash site to investigate the death while the body of Garote was brought to a local funeral home for autopsy.

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