LEGAZPI CITY ---- Philippine Army troopers killed three suspected robbers the other day at a geothermal reservation in Sorsogon City, a ranking Army official said Tuesday.

        Army Col. Arnel Bernardo, commanding officer of the 901st Army Brigade here said a team of Army soldiers based at the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) compound in Sorsogon City responded to a call that the firm’s cable wires were cut by robbers resulting to a sudden electric power failure in the area

        Bernardo said the responding team led by Army Sgt. George Licup was hot on trail

        against the suspects when they engaged them in a brief firefight that resulted to the death of the suspects.

        Reports said the incident took place at about 2:00 a.m. Sunday at the PNOC geothermal reservation in Sitio Cawayan, Barangay Guinlajon, Sorsogon City. The victims were reportedly armed with a shotgun and bolos.

        Soldiers recovered from the scene a shotgun with four live ammunitions, two bolos, 3 meters cut cable wires, three backpacks containing personal belongings and one kilo of rice.

        Bernardo said the victims were brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) station in Sorsogon for identification and disposition.

        The victims’ bodies lay in state at the Funeraria Labalan in Sorsogon City awaiting relatives t0 claim the cadavers.

        Authorities here have to act on various complaints concerning the widespread theft of cable wires and steel bars owned by the National Power Corporation, TRANSCO, PNOC and other telecommunication companies that have installations in the region.