Thursday, October 11, 2007 Army encounters Parago in Paquibato By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE Philippine Army encountered the group of the infamous rebel leader Leoncio Pitao alias Kumander Parago in the mountains of Paquibato District in Davao City five days ago.
Parago was able to escape from government soldiers though but the military said quite a few of the rebels were wounded in the encounter possibly including Parago himself.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ambal, chief of the commander of the Army's 73rd Infantry Battalion, said the encounter happened around 4:30 p.m. of October 6 at sitio Malamboon, barangay Malabog.
Ambal said they received tip from residents of barangay Malabog about the presence of Parago and his group. Soldiers were immediately dispatched to the area that resulted in a brief firefight.
Ambal said the rebels fled in different directions. Recovered from the area were claymor mines, blasting caps and wires, and spent shells.
He said bloodstains littered the encounter site. The blood, Ambal said, belongs to the rebel group as none of the soldiers were wounded in Saturday's encounter.
