President Rodrigo Duterte visited on Friday night wounded soldiers confined in a hospital in Tacloban City, Leyte.

The soldiers were injured in an attack by the communist New People's Army in Borongan City, Eastern Samar last Monday.

Duterte was initially scheduled to have a dialogue with the farmers in North Cotabato.

But the Palace said it would just be rescheduled.

Duterte instead flew to Leyte from Davao City to meet the soldiers.

Some 20 soldiers were wounded and six others were killed during the attack.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar condemned the attack by the Maoist group against the soldiers.

In the initial police report, improvised explosive devices were used against the Army soldiers who were deployed after receiving a tip that members of the terrorist groups were harassing civilians in the village of Pinanag-an. Celerina Monte/DMS