Leftist rebels caught in clash with Philippine troops on voting day

A group of leftist rebels were caught by government security forces while campaigning for their political bets in the hinterland province of Albay on Monday morning, a military official said.

Major Harold Cabunoc, 9th Infantry Division Spokesman, said a 9- man squad of soldiers who were sent on a security patrol in a remote village of Oas, Albay, clashed with more or less 10 leftist rebels at around 4:30 a.m. Monday.

Firefight lasted for about five minutes after which the rebels escaped toward the forested area, leaving behind one of their members who surrendered with his firearm.

The soldiers also confiscated 50 pieces of Permits To Campaign (PTC) cards and hundreds of sample ballots containing the names of senatorial candidates Ocampo and Masa and their party list group Bayan Muna during the encounter.

The rebels are actively campaigning for their political bets in remote areas of the village.

Source: Xinhua