PBBM urges vigilance vs terror attack after Masbate clash

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday, March 23, underscored the importance of being vigilant against communist terrorist groups as he expressed concern over the spate of violence in Masbate. The Chief Executive sounded off his concerns on Twitter a day after another firefight broke out between soldiers and rebels. “We are deeply concerned over the incidents of violence in Masbate which had traumatized the affected civilians who were generally school children and their teachers,” he wrote. “This just demonstrates that although we have made much progress in the fight against the Communist Terrorists Groups, we must be continuously vigilant so that such murderous abuses are avoided in the future,” Marcos added. On Wednesday, March 22, violence erupted near the Locso-an Elementary School in Barangay Locso-an in Placer town after the flag-raising ceremony. An explosion, followed by gunfire, was heard around the vicinity of the school. This was after a clash occurred in Barangay Villahermosa in another adjacent town of Cawayan on Monday, March 20. Corporal Antonio Parreño Jr. of the 2nd Infantry Batallion was slain during the encounter. Officials of the Villahermosa National High School were forced to shift from face-to-face classes to modular distance learning following the clash.