Army lieutenant killed in NPA attack in ComVal

An Army lieutenant was killed in an attack by communist rebels in Compostela Valley in southern Philippines last Friday, a belated police report said Sunday. First Lieutenant Godofredo Despojo Jr. died on the spot when an improvised explosive device thrown by New People's Army (NPA) rebels exploded in Sitio Tanawan in Barangay Malinawon, Mawab town at 1:13 p.m., according to Compostela Valley police director Aaron Aquino. An initial investigation revealed that government troops were on their way back from combat operations in nearby Nabunturan town when the rebels threw the explosive. Aquino said a firefight between the government troops and the suspected rebels ensued for an hour and 20 minutes after the blast, leading to the death of an undetermined number of NPA members. Several communist rebels managed to flee toward an unknown direction after the clash, he said. Despojo’s remains have already been brought to a funeral home in Davao del Norte. The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has been waging armed struggle for 41 years now to establish a Marxist state in the Philippines. - Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News